Capacity to re-calibrate compass during an exercise

[Mister PYC]

I noticed something interresting yesterday.

Currenly in holidays at the sea … I test my Suunto on the beach

I was swimming in the sea, so activated an exercise of “openwater swimming” – by the way natation distance remains always equal to zero, but that’s another point – …
I was taking a POI of where we stand…
on the return, I activated the navigation to the POI …
… and … … … . . .
the compass was pointing the complete opposite direction …
Moreover as already observed one time, in such situation when I move on the left or on the right the watch, the north is necoming totally erratic, hence the direction to go the same.

Multiple points here

1. Is it possible to have a recalibration of the compass, still remaining inside the exercise, so not stopping it
2. even better, cannot this situation detected by the watch ?
   if the direction was taken from only the GPS, it should have shown a totally opposite direction from the one of the compass, co could be detected by the watch itself.

From my observations, I’m assuming that the distance is taken by a computation on GPS positions (the one I’m and the one I want to go) whereas the direction is taken by considering the north which here is wrong.

Another point : is it normal that so often the north is erratic ?
It is not the first time I’m observing this phenomena … and this time no-one can object me that there are some magnetic disturbance … I was a 300 m far from the beach and not in mty car or in my house

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

@mister-pyc if you stand still navigation uses the compass not bearing so that means that if the watch thinks the compass is not calibrated it will ask for it. If not you can do the same 8 figure and force it.

Navigation works with swimming. It doesn’t stay blanc it’s just that when you swim you don’t move a lot.

[Mister PYC]

@dimitrios-kanellopoulos humm humm … it was not my problem.
the situation was the following :

1. on the beach, I checked the watch both my current position which I marked as a POI and the compass, all was OK
2. I swim I swim I swim
3. On the return when I was able to touch the sand, I press a long time on the central button and activate the navigation to the POI I recorded before
   What I observed then is the following

• the compass screen was here with a correct distance to my beach towel
• but the arrows both for north and target were almost at 180°
• when I moved my arm on the left or right the arrows were crasy
  (even not keeping the same direction but becomign a sort of erratic)
• when I was moving in the direction of my beach towel, the distance was correctly reduced, still the target arrow was almost on the opposite side.

In such situation, there is no solution until and unless I stop the exercise – which I do not want – and at that time ask the recalibration of the watch

PS : I agree that when I swim and the arm is below the water, then the watch cannot process anymore.