Enough light for nighttime snorkeling?

[ClayJar]

Looks like we'll be loosing the moonlight during our stay (2/14/09-2/21/09).

Actually, looks like you're going to be in the dark the whole time. Take a look at the sun/moon schedule at SunriseSunset.com.

On Saturday, sunset is 6:39pm, with twilight at 7:00pm. The moon (waning gibbous, almost to first quarter) doesn't rise until 11:19pm, four hours and forty minutes after sunset. The following night, it's after midnight before it rises, and so on.

You could get in some nice daybreak dives (like night dives, but you start early morning and let the water get brighter and brighter), but that means getting up early. I did at least one night dive and a daybreak/dawn dive every day in Bonaire, but I wasn't planning to get any rest until I got back.

Of course, you don't get moonlight, but you'll get to have *very* black water. That is cool in a different way than moonlight dives (and when I keep saying dives, I also mean snorkels, of course), but it's quite amazingly cool, too. (It'll also make your lights seem all the brighter.)

 

[TSandM]

Another vote for the Intova light. Cave Adventurers has them on sale for $44.98.

 

[Damselfish]

What do you mean, "almost"? In the week leading up to a full moon, moonbasket and I did an entire drift dive along pink beach without lights. :biggrin: (Okay, so we *did* use our lights for the step in and step out, but that doesn't count as the dive, does it? )

almost, because yeah ya gotta get in and out of the water, and it's nice to see color. :cool2:

I did most of a dive by moonlight once when my primary ran out of juice, my backup outright failed, and my husband didn't have his backup along.

 

[LovetoFloat]

Since the moon will be rising late during our stay, does this mean we won't have to worry about jellyfish, even though it'll be 8-10 days after the full moon?

Not that I am going to let them stop me from going in the water...

 

[ClayJar]

The rule of thumb is that the three-day period from 8-10 days after a full moon is usually when jellies are most prevalent. I believe different species and locales vary, but that's the general idea. It shouldn't keep you out of the water, but it's not a bad idea to keep a little extra attention reserved to watch for any. I haven't heard any reports of plagues of jellies or anything like that.

(We saw several varieties of big jellies today out of Panama City Beach, FL. We avoided them all, but something got me right on the upper lip. That burned a little. )