Night Diving

If you have never been on a night dive, you will be entering into a whole new world when you start diving at night.  It is a fantastic experience.  When you first decide to dive at night, go with someone who is experienced at night diving.. Many creates, that are not visible during your day dive, will come out of their hiding places when you are night diving.  If you have never been on a night dive you will be entering into a whole new world when you start your night diving.  In the Caribbean, feathery basket stars are found and are only seen at night.  Depending on where you are diving you will see lobsters, crabs, lion fish and sharks out at night exploring and since they are more active at night.  Grouper and parrotfish they can be approached and observed or photographed very easily.  The true colors of the reef and see bed are much more intense and come alive at night under your flashlight.

Night diving is a way to add new excitement to your familiar dive site that you have only dove during the day.  Under a full moon, on a calm night, you can turn your light off and still see amazing things.  Just waving your hand in front of you will cause microscopic animals in the water to turn bioluminescent for a brief moment.

I well always remember my first night dive.  It was just a week after I became certified, I went out with the Divemaster from my class and we dove Shaw's Cove in Laguna Beach. My first thoughts were what am I doing out here in the ocean in pitch black water while I wondered what was swimming around underneath me.  I got the sign to descend and from then on I felt like a kid in a candy store trying to see all of my choices.  There were shrimp in crevices, fish sleeping on ledges, a moral eel prowling the rocky outcroppings for a meal and at one point a large spider crap walking on the bottom just a few feet from me.  That night I feel in love with night diving.

What can you expect?

Expect the unexpected.  Every night dive is different and an adventure of its own.  You will never regret going.  If you start at twilight you will experience the hunters from both the daytime and nighttime shifts looking for an easy meal.  You will have different events depending whether you are diving on a reef or around a rock outcrop.

Prime time for night diving arrives with full darkness, usually about 4 hours after sunset, when corals, gorgonian fans, sea urchins, lobsters and sea lions come out.  Octopuses, squid and crabs become more active at this time.

Planning your night dive.

Like any dive, planning is a critical part of night diving.  Be sure to discuss the hazards, what procedures you will follow if you are separated from your dive buddy.  Review night dive signals before you enter the water.  Include a compass for navigation, since it is easier to get disoriented at night.  Ensure that the weather is good, there is good surface visibility and that all divers have a main light and a backup light.  Keep people informed, other that those you are diving with, where you will be diving, when you expect to return and an approximate time you will contact them after the dive.  This is important in case there you run into any problems.

Where should you go night diving?

It is always best to dive places that you are familiar and comfortable with.  Areas that you have dove previously during the day.  If you are diving in a new area be sure to do a day dive to acquaint yourself with the area or dive with someone who knows the area.  Night dive only when conditions are good.  Conditions you want to avoid are heavy surf, if beach diving, strong currents, heavy surge, poor visibility, fog, wrecks, caves and thick kelp beds.  Plan your dive and prepare your equipment in advance.  It will help to minimize your stress by choosing a calm night and by following a modest profile or diving from a boat.

Start your dive at twilight when there's still a little light for gearing up and getting comfortable.  You will receive a double treat in seeing the changing of the guard when the daylight creatures are retiring and the night creatures are coming out.

If you are starting your dive after dark allow your eyes time to adjust to the dark, give yourself at least 15 minutes without any bright lights on.  Make sure everyone checks their dive lights before you're at your dive site so that they will not interfere with your night vision.

Do your buddy check.

Be sure to do your pre-dive check with your dive buddy, checking head to toe and front to back, since it is easy to miss things at night.  Go through the checks thoroughly and test everything to be sure it works properly, especially your dive lights, be sure you have extra battery's.

Safety

Pay special attention to your navigation as it is easier to miss cues without sunlight.  You can become disorientated and go deeper than you intend so pay attention to the signs, increased pressure and cooler temperatures.  Check your depth gauge frequently and check your buddy's too.  You will want to keep your dive buddy in closer contact at night since you may not be able to see as far as you would on a day dive.

Know your night signals.

When you dive at night you will need to use light signals as well as hand signals.  When signaling with your light aim it toward the seabed where your dive buddy is looking, not in their face.  The following are the most common light signals that you should know.

• A slow large circle means "OK".  It is the same as the finger and thump circle.
• Rapid side-to-side movement underwater means "Attention, look this way."
• Rapid side-to-side movement on the surface means "I have a problem, come get me."
• When you need to use a hand signal, shine your light on your hand so your buddy can see it.  If you need both or your hands then tuck you light under your arm.

Remember that it is important for your dive buddy to confirm your signal by repeating it as it is easy to misunderstand signals in the dark.

Most of all enjoy your night dives and all of your dives.