Practice Tests | Intermediate Coastal Navigation

Master Coastal Navigation & Prepare for Your Exam

Coastal navigation is the essential skill of determining your location and plotting a safe course to your destination using landmarks and navigational aids. This course is designed to thoroughly prepare you for the Intermediate Coastal Navigation Exam—not just by memorizing answers, but by truly understanding the concepts.

Each question includes detailed explanations to reinforce your learning and ensure you're ready to succeed. I've personally used this material to pass the exam, and now I'm sharing my study notes to help you do the same!

Intermediate Coastal Navigation Exam Topics

• Responsibilities of the Navigator

• Ship's Log information

• Light (Buoy) terms and characteristics

• Aids to Navigation terms and shapes

• IALA Region "A" vs IALA Region "B"

• Three-Bearing Fix Characteristics

• GPS terms and definitions

• Safe Route criteria

• Tides at a given location

• Tidal Diamond usage

• West Coast Tide Atlas usage

• St. Lawrence River Tide Atlas usage

• Compensation for Leeway

• Determining Compass Deviation

• Knot Metre calibration

• GPS accuracy factors

• Vertical Datum characteristics and usage

• Crossing and joining a Traffic Separation Scheme

• Methods to determine Lines of Position

• Causes and estimation of Leeway

• Actions in Restricted Visibility

• Plotting with a change of course

• Plotting Fix using Bearings

• Plotting a Running Fix

• Plotting and determining CTS, SMG, and ETA

• Using a GPS Fix

IMPORTANT: Required Charts for This Course

To complete several of the exam questions, you will need two Canadian charts:

• CHS 3463 – Strait of Georgia, Southern Portion

• CHS 9997 – Cape Hurd to Lonely Island

These charts are available at CHS locations in Canada, the USA, the UK, and Japan. You can search online for "Purchase charts for navigation - Canadian Hydrographic Service" to find a nearby source or an option to have them shipped.

Are you ready to gain confidence in your navigation skills? Enrol today and start your journey toward certification!