Advantages of night diving?

[fnfalman]

1. It's not "dangerous" than daytime. Flashlights are ridiculously bright nowadays, especially with the proliferation of LED light. One would be amazed how a tiny flashlight would illuminate a large area.

2. Cool critters come out.

3. Bioluminescence.

4. More true colors because of heavier use of white light flashlights (LED or HID).

5. Navigation is still the same as day. You still need to keep track of your headings, depths, kick counts, etc.

 

[knotical]

Another vote for the critters.

For a dramatic realization of color differences, carry a flashlight during day dives. Find one of those black sponges and shine your flashlight on it. Behold! Some of those black things are actually brilliant red.

 

[freewillie]

Night dives are my favorite dives! It's like a different world at night. The most interesting dives are done on the same reef, one at dusk just before the sun sets and then again when it is dark. It is fascinating to see the different nocturnal creatures that come out on the reef after the diurnal ones have gone to bed. My favorites are the octopi that you virtually never see during the day.

You don't navigate very far in the dark so you never get too far from the dive boat (assuming you are diving off a boat). Many of the critters like small shrimp are irredescent and reflect the light back from the flash lights. It's really neat to see the little "mirrors" in the cracks and reef and corals. There is so much to see at night you don't have to swim very far. Most night dives you creep over the reef as a very slow pace looking in all the nooks for interesting things to see.

The boat has a big primary light that marks it's location in the dark and obviously is very easy to see in the dark. Your buddy's light and tank marker make it easier to keep track of underwater, and using your light as a signalling device makes it easier to get your buddy's attention at night as well.

I always make it a point to try and get a night dive in whenever there is an opportunity.

 

[TomZ]

+1 for the advantages previously mentioned. There are two things I learned on my first night dive:

1. I did not know how to turn on the background lighting of my dive computer.
2. Shining your dive light on your computer attracts little critters that make reading your computer difficult.

 

[Kilili]

From the start, I thought night diving felt safer. The world is only as big as your light illuminates. Fewer distractions, so peaceful, and some things just aren't out during the day.
Try diving by moonlight, lights off.

 

[nolatom]

My first night dive was on Stetson Bank, 70 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas.

Stetson is cool even by day, but more so at night. With the weird geolgy (rifts and pinnacles pushed up by a salt dome), it's like landing on the Moon, and cruising over the craters. Plus all the night wildlife--rays, hawkbill turtle, makes it feel really primeval.

 

[j2s]

It's kinda like full moons and humans, all the weird stuff comes out ;D !!!!!

 

[rongoodman]

There can be surprises. Some of the sight feeding fish will use your light for hunting.You'll be hanging there looking at something, there'll be a flash over your shoulder, and the something you were looking it is now something else's dinner!

 

[TSandM]

I love diving at night. A lot of hunters come out and cruise then, and although it's really not supported by data, I swear GPOs hunt at night.

The one thing about night diving is that direct ascents become much more like flying on instruments, when you don't have the gradation of light in the water to give you immediate depth information. I've seen VERY good divers lose buoyancy control when ascending in the dark. I like to shoot a bag if I have to do that.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Hi,
I'm new to SCUBA and I was wondering why night diving seems to be such a wildly popular thing to do. It seems a bit more dangerous without all the daytime illumination for both navigational and sensorial awareness. Is there a benefit from seeing the sorts of animal life down there?

Definitely more dangerous and challenging. I generally try to dive shallower, and generally in locations where navigation is simple, or inconsequential (like a night drift dive with a boat following you). It is defintely harder to navigate at night and I ahve always found it particularly difficult to detect a sloping bottom that was easy to discern in the day. As mentioned, ascents without any reference are harder and communication with the buddy is more difficult because they tend to shine their lights in your eyes, forget to illuminate their hand signals etc.

I like night diving, it is best when you have a dive plan that involves easy navigation, minimal swimming and concentrating on smaller creatures and going really slow, can make it relaxing. It is also tougher on the boat at night, getting ready, getting on a ladder when it is rough, and it is much easier to get sea sick at night on a boat without normal references.