Night diving - what is it like?

[Bogtrotter]

Definitely worth doing, at least in the tropics anyway- especially if you're interested in wildlife as there are some corals and crustaceans that are more active during the day. The one thing that sticks to mind after my first night dive was the amount of small stuff darting around in the water, a real blizzard of activity at times. I do recall it being not as eerie as I expected, less so than a really low vis dive.

 

[GreggS]

Another thing to do when doing a night dive at Coz, especially when doing your safety stop, is turn off your light and wave your hand in front of your face. You will be amazed at the small bio-luminescent critters that will briefly flash on. Very colorful.

 

[CT-Rich]

I love night dives, but the drive home tends to be the most hazardous part. Pick a spot you consider an easy dive with easy navigation. Two lights for each diver and a light will tell you where your exit Point will be ( my last night dive we climbed out on a rock took off our fins only to realize we were still 20 yards off shore....LOL). It’s spooky in a good way...

 

[Dogbowl]

Another thing to do when doing a night dive at Coz, especially when doing your safety stop, is turn off your light and wave your hand in front of your face. You will be amazed at the small bio-luminescent critters that will briefly flash on. Very colorful.

Cool! Duly noted!

 

[gassed]

It depends on you.
Your field of view through a mask is rather narrow and an average light beam will fill that. So if you point you light where you are looking there is really no visual difference.
That said there is an added responsibility and task loading. It is easy to flashblind those around you by shining your light in their eyes. Gauges are harder to read, etc.
Generally you are more likely to see certain critters more often at night (octopus, crustaceans out and feeding).
But we have had numerous night dives busts. When vis is poor your light reflects back all the debris in the water, exaggerating the poor vis. We have also had dives with less life than the same dive midday. Like all dives, you just never know.
As to personality types, it seems some people really relax in the dark. Heart rate drops, air consumption goes down. The other type is obviously the opposite. And you just wont know till you try it.
Two final notes that may have an effect. If you are doing 3,4 or 5 dives a day staying up for the night dive will prove exhausting. You will be revitalized afterward but I have found I dont think as clear when I'm riding that much N2 and that tired. Needless to say, the next morning can be rough. For that reason I prefer early AM dives. Get to see the night stuff and then watch the sun come. Beautiful. Usually I am all alone (because no one wants to get up at 4am) and come out of the water fresh and ready for the day.
Then there is the biggest negative, for me. In the carib. there is a ton of plankton and creepy little bugs and worms that fill the water column at night. I am shooting pics so I have my primary and a focus light and multiple strobe bursts. These attract the critters. If I sit in the same place too long I am being pelted with critters. This may freak out some people. I am okay until one finds its way into my ear!!! This has happened twice now. Its so hard to focus when you have a "woosh wooosh woosh, flutter flutter" and the feeling of movement in your ears! I have also washed squirming worms out of my beard post dive. That is not so bad but it freaked my wife out. That said, that is 3 times I have been a "host" out of over 100 night dives so the odds are low, but still freaking creepy. One of these days I will get a head sock.
Anyway, you wont know till you try. Some people loves wrecks, some love caves, some love muck and some love reefs. Just don't do it for ego. It is supposed to be fun.

 

[Dogbowl]

It depends on you.
Your field of view through a mask is rather narrow and an average light beam will fill that. So if you point you light where you are looking there is really no visual difference.
That said there is an added responsibility and task loading. It is easy to flashblind those around you by shining your light in their eyes. Gauges are harder to read, etc.
Generally you are more likely to see certain critters more often at night (octopus, crustaceans out and feeding).
But we have had numerous night dives busts. When vis is poor your light reflects back all the debris in the water, exaggerating the poor vis. We have also had dives with less life than the same dive midday. Like all dives, you just never know.
As to personality types, it seems some people really relax in the dark. Heart rate drops, air consumption goes down. The other type is obviously the opposite. And you just wont know till you try it.
Two final notes that may have an effect. If you are doing 3,4 or 5 dives a day staying up for the night dive will prove exhausting. You will be revitalized afterward but I have found I dont think as clear when I'm riding that much N2 and that tired. Needless to say, the next morning can be rough. For that reason I prefer early AM dives. Get to see the night stuff and then watch the sun come. Beautiful. Usually I am all alone (because no one wants to get up at 4am) and come out of the water fresh and ready for the day.
Then there is the biggest negative, for me. In the carib. there is a ton of plankton and creepy little bugs and worms that fill the water column at night. I am shooting pics so I have my primary and a focus light and multiple strobe bursts. These attract the critters. If I sit in the same place too long I am being pelted with critters. This may freak out some people. I am okay until one finds its way into my ear!!! This has happened twice now. Its so hard to focus when you have a "woosh wooosh woosh, flutter flutter" and the feeling of movement in your ears! I have also washed squirming worms out of my beard post dive. That is not so bad but it freaked my wife out. That said, that is 3 times I have been a "host" out of over 100 night dives so the odds are low, but still freaking creepy. One of these days I will get a head sock.
Anyway, you wont know till you try. Some people loves wrecks, some love caves, some love muck and some love reefs. Just don't do it for ego. It is supposed to be fun.
View attachment 430670

Errrr okay that totally freaked me out. I wear a beanie regularly so hope creepy crawlies find it harder to get into my ears. Cause that would totally freak me out!

 

[DavidFL]

Here's 30 seconds of what it was like in Belize in 2015; with both "regular" lights and lights-and-filters to reveal bio-luminescence

 

[Bogtrotter]

If it's a guided dive an octopus will be one critter they will be looking to show you- they may feed it. There can be a lot of jellies and small crustaceans darting around, akin to driving through a snow blizzard. Maybe a shorty wouldn't be a good idea if you think that would give you the creeps. One thing that has creeped me out since is the possibility of running into hungry swarm of amphipods!

 

[Rob Bibber]

Haven't tried it yet but I want to. Day or night I just want to get wet ;-)

 

[Hoag]

For some reason, I am always apprehensive getting ready for a night dive. I am rambling on and laughing nervously (at times at inappropriate things). Then I hit the water and my nevousness is all behind me. Colours that are muted during the day as the sunlight tries to get through the water to your depth now "pop" in the bright light of your dive light only a few feet away. Things which looked blue-green are now suddenly vibrant reds and oranges.

One of my most memorable dives was a night dive on the Belize Aggressor 3. Three of us were diving and one called the dive so we went back to the boat and when he was safely out of the water, the other two of us continued our dive. For some reason, we were joined by a young sea turtle who just kind of "hung out" with us for about 5 minutes. At one point, I went down to the bottom in a shallow area and came to rest on my stomach in the sand. Our "turtle buddy" swam around in front of my and he settled in the sand about 2 feet away from me looking straight at me. It was a moment that will be frozen in time for me as long as I live.

The only time I have ever been hurt on a dive was also on a night dive and I will be the first to admit that it was 100% my fault. We were doing the "Town Pier" in Bonaire and at a depth of about 10-15 feet, I saw something that, at the moment, I found very funny. I started laughing, and as my lungs filled with laughter (and air) I was sudden very buoyant and shot up to the surface from about 10 feet. "They" say that when you step off a cliff, it isn't the fall that gets you, it is the sudden stop at the end that does. Well, the same thing happened here. I "shot" to the top and "bounced" my noggin off of the underside of the pier. The way the situation evolved (or devolved) was in and of itself very humourous and while I was rubbing my head, I kept laughing. (Apparently I do not take myself too seriously.) It was not until I stopped laughing that I could get my buoyancy back under control and continue the dive. It was all good though. When the dive was over, I had a little bump on my head and a funny story.