Make sure you stick with your buddy and you have a good light. You should be fine.
The issue is not one of dealing with situations when everything goes fine, but when thing don't. Many divers are in a hurry to do a night dive or their peers tell them theres nothing to it, just do it.
In my opinion a diver with 5 dives, is just learning proper "everything" about diving and does not have instintive familarity or practice on how to respond to various situations which may arise. These simple but unexpected events can easily be compounded in severity by making the wrong decisions. Not to even mention emergency situations.
While this is also true of day dives. Add total darkness
(something some people have not experienced) along with lack of familarity with new gear, along with inexperience and lack of competency using this gear, and you have just increased the risk you are exposing yourself to significantly.
A new or clear water diver would think twice about diving in poor vis. conditions, lets say 8 ft. or less, and probably pass the dive. Yet think nothing of night diving. While lights will illuminate to some extent, it can very well become 0 ft. vis. all of sudden. I think it goes without saying that special skills are needed for very poor visibility condition, just as in any other special situation diving.
This is not designed to scare you away from night diving. Most likely with basic precautions you will be alright. I just think its important to be aware of the increased risk we are subjecting ourselves to under different diving conditions.
I believe one should be able to demonstrate competency in one level of diving before tackling a more challenging environment requiring additional, and more advanced skills, along with special equipment.
Peter
