"Black water" diving. No vis, or no daylight?

[nolatom]

I had always thought the term meant zero vis, can't even read your gauges, total "braille" dive. I've done a couple of these trying to find something in a marina or ramp, where it's a total silt-out. Not my dive of choice.

Now I wonder if it's being used for night dives, in part because it sounds cool?

Scuba at night: Blackwater diving off Hawaii - CNN.com

Nice article in CNN, but it's a night dive, right? Or does language "evolve"?

 

[Bob DBF]

A night dive, in black water they wouldn't see s**t.


Bob

 

[tursiops]

I had always thought the term meant zero vis, can't even read your gauges, total "braille" dive. I've done a couple of these trying to find something in a marina or ramp, where it's a total silt-out. Not my dive of choice.

Now I wonder if it's being used for night dives, in part because it sounds cool?

Scuba at night: Blackwater diving off Hawaii - CNN.com

Nice article in CNN, but it's a night dive, right? Or does language "evolve"?

Blackwater is a play-on-words of Bluewater. The idea is a night dive in deep water, so you can see the pelagics come near the surface to feed. Awesome.

 

[James R]

A night dive, in black water they wouldn't see s**t.


Bob

In this case, the idea is to see very small critters and that's it...really nice photos here:

Kona Blackwater Diving - Magical Pelagic Dive | Kona Honu Divers

 

[Streydog]

West End divers in Roatan does these. I haven't been, just seen it on their site.

Black Water Dive | West End Divers | Roatan, Honduras

 

[nolatom]

My first night dive was Stetson Bank.
It was like orbiting the Moon on the dark side (okay, I haven't done that..).
Vis was crystal-clear, as it often is way out at FGB.

But still a "night dive", at least in the parlance I am used to. Though the dive itself does sound cool.

 

[tursiops]

My first night dive was Stetson Bank.
It was like orbiting the Moon on the dark side (okay, I haven't done that..).
Vis was crystal-clear, as it often is way out at FGB.

But still a "night dive", at least in the parlance I am used to. Though the dive itself does sound cool.

Diving at night over Stetson Bank is a night dive, but not a "Blackwater" dive, in today's parlance. Blackwater means deepwater, like 600 plus feet, so there are deep critters that can rise to the surface.

 

[James R]

West End divers in Roatan does these. I haven't been, just seen it on their site.

Black Water Dive | West End Divers | Roatan, Honduras

Wow thanks for the link/info. We are going to Roatan in November...I am going to do this.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Blackwater is a play-on-words of Bluewater.

That's it. A "blue water dive" is a dive where you float in the open ocean and get to see whatever comes by, and these have traditionally been in the daytime. Now they have coined "black water dive" to refer to the same sort of dive but at night. Maybe "blue water night dive" just doesn't sound right.

 

[nolatom]

That's it. A "blue water dive" is a dive where you float in the open ocean and get to see whatever comes by, and these have traditionally been in the daytime. Now they have coined "black water dive" to refer to the same sort of dive but at night. Maybe "blue water night dive" just doesn't sound right.

Ah. Good explanation. Got it.