Night divers unite!

[ScubaDocER]

Night diving is probably one of the most fascinating types of diving around. You can really see what types of creatures decide to come out and play when the lights go out. I have done it for years and continue to be fascinated by it.

In terms of what you should be aware of :

Night diving requires lights to be able to do effectively and safely. Seems obvious but people don't realize how much so until there light goes out. You should take at least 2 lights with you in case your main or primary light goes out (flood, battery dies, drop it, etc.). Remember that the light is not only your way of seeing the underwater environment, but also for other divers to see you especially in the event you need assistance.

Night diving requires communication skills with lights. Not a complicated thing, but you will need to review these things prior to getting in the water. Since you cannot see as well at night as you can in the day, the ability to communicate with other divers or your dive buddy is very important. The ability to see if a buddy is "ok". The ability to signal for help in an emergency. These are things you can learn in a Night Diving Class or from another seasoned diver.

Disorientation can occur easily at night. Make sure you carry a compass or are able to follow underwater structures if you are using natural navigation. Stay with your dive buddy and/or the group and be aware of your surroundings as you chase lobsters in the night.

Review and discuss emergency procedures before entering the water. Accidents can and do happen during a night dive and you should try and be prepared mentally and physically to address them when they do. Rehearse in your mind and with your dive buddy what you would do in an out of air (OOA) situation. A lost diver situation. If you become separated from the group or your buddy. If your lights die. The key to me to enjoying a night dive is preparation. Use the right equipment (lights, tank strobes, glow sticks, compass, slates, etc.) and be prepared for unplanned situations and you will come to love night diving as much as most of us do.

Hope this helps.

 

[CamG]

Greetings ScubaGirlJg and I think you will love night diving. Our first night dive was remarkable and not at all what I expected. Once we had the surface light put on the dock and the strobe to mark the upline it was time to get in. This was the worst moment of the dive for me Black Water always terrified me. Why I do not know but it was not black once you got in. So my fear was gone immediately and replaced by wonder. It was very cool and the animal life was unbelievable. The insects that were drawn to the light were so interesting and the food chain that was lived out before our eyes was captivating. From the smallest to the biggest, everyone ate the other. Finally it stopped at the fish who should have been eaten by me! Well in a different quarry anyway! Night dives taught me to slow down, I mean really SLOW down! I actually saw the things that I would have flown by on a normal dive. So night diving actually helped me be a better diver over-all.
Now about lights...........well this is just my opinion but I have found the long tube marking lights "twist on" to work the best and remain visible even in lo-vis. Green for me.
For back up I have used several Princeton Tech, UK, and IKElight. I am currently using the INTOVA LED and it is unbelievably bright and reliable. I have taken this light to 120" and it was brighter than a 10 watt can light, no joke! I carry two of these as double back ups.
My primary light is a 10 watt canister light that is experiencing difficulties at this time. I am going to order the Dive Rite 900 LUX LED. I have done a fair amount of research and feel for the diving that I currently do this light will serve me well.
The biggest piece of advice I could give you would to have your gear streamlined, hoses tucked in "tangle free", stay close to your buddy and relax.
There is nothing in the dark that is not in the light. That is what I was told as a kid and tell my kids now. I to as some have mentioned enjoy moon light dives, they are so very peaceful and tranquil. You can easily do some seriously long dives and not seem like it! The longest to date is 2 hours and 2 minutes. That was diving with a AL 80 and another AL 80 slung as a stage bottle. It was a dive that I will never forget shared with two close buddies.
Prepare your gear in the light and make sure you skill wise are ready to do blind regulator recovery and mask replacement. Monitor you and your buddies PSI like any other dive. And have fun. The animals really do come out at night but not in a scary way. Some are sleeping others are hunting but it is totally different even if it is a spot you have dove many times in the light.
Safe diving and always dive within your limits ScubaGirl, you will love it!
CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!

 

[Texasdivechick]

I was lucky in the fact that my first night dive was with an instructor/photographer who asked if I wanted to experience it. Of course I said, "YES!" I was also lucky that it was on Bari Reef (Sand Dollar house reef, Bonaire) and my new buddy was taking video, which meant very bright lights. I was more calm on that dive than any other dive prior (it was dive number 13 for me). I think my experience was a positive start to my love of night diving due to: 1) having a much more experienced diver as my buddy; 2) I was already familiar with the shallow reef in daytime, and 3) the pier and my buddy's strobes helped illuminate the area in such a way that I didn't feel spooked at all.
That said, now when I night dive I carry two lights and while keeping one on for emergencies and to prevent accidental flooding, I almost always have the light pressed up against my abdomen to block as much light as possible. It is much, much prettier without the lights and the fish don't hide as readily as they do when someone has an annoying light that can be seen across the entire reef.
Just remember the basic rules of night diving (which I hope were covered in your class) and please, please, please be cognizant of where you shine your light- never in someone's eyes and keep the beam in control while you're doing your safety stop. Don't let it swing like a pendulum from your wrist unless you have a very good reason to do so. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[gcbryan]

As you can see everyone loves night diving including me! A large percentage of my dives are at night. There's more going on and it's more relaxing in many ways. It's actually easier to see other divers since they all have lights. Just look for the light.

It's also easier in many cases to see the marine life since there is no ambient light to produce glare. It's easier to see under ledges.

You will love it.

 

[fnfalman]

Night dive is fairly easy. It's just like day dive except you use light. Don't get overkill and use lights that put out a lot of lumens. You'd end up scaring off some of the cool nocturnal animals.

Just something enough to see by (somewhere around 120-lumens is plenty). Use some sort of light marker and attach it to your tank so that others can see you from behind.

Don't go to deep or you'd get freaked out. Don't do anything that takes you way out of your comfort zone. For example, I was out on a night dive and this poor girl suffered through her first night dive because she had an idiot for a buddy. Her first time diving cold water in the California ocean - not used to wearing heavy wetsuit and probably overweighted, only had SIX dives total (including OW cert dives) in the tropics, and the bottom of the dive site was at 95-ft.

The poor girl couldn't get down because she kind of freaked out (bad viz that night), and it was a good thing that she didn't get down. Imagine somebody with six dives under their belt doing a 95FSW dive at night with unfamiliar equipment (all rental). When I heard her story, I wanted to take out my dive knife and gut that moron of a buddy. Of course, he was pissed that she couldn't get down and after taking her back to the swim platform, he took off on his own.

So, the moral of the story is that night dives are cool, but make sure that you plan for it and make sure that your buddy isn't a Navy SEAL wannabe.

 

[Brian Sharpe]

The only night dive I've done (so far) was the one for my AOW. It was on a wreck that I've visited a number of times (the Conestoga) and was completely different from any of my day time dives - I loved it. When we finished the dive we were elated to see that the good folks in Ogdensburg NY set off fireworks to celebrate our dive (maybe not the real reason! LOL)

I also had a chance to do a couple of cavern dives in DR a couple of weeks ago.

I plan on doing more of both!

 

[ScubaGirlJg]

Thank you all for your great advice! A lot of you mentioned to be prepared for mask floodage and that is a good point! This is probably something I would practice in my home pool before a dive to make sure I was comfortable diving. A lot of you say that a lot of creatures come out because they are attracted to the light...my question is do they get very close to you and your light? The reason why I ask is because the majority of my life was lived up north in a city where you wouldn't find to many bugs like you do here in florida. Lets just say little crawly critters aren't my favorite. So do they get all up on you lolol that would be something to prepare for lol

 

[AndrewA]

I did my first night dive as part of my AOW. It was round about dive 15 or 16 and I was buddied with my instructor. It was a fantastic experience. If your local shop is offering to let you do a night dive as part of an advanced course I would jump at the chance .

 

[princessaprilia]

Well, I was nervous and wasn't sure I was doing it right...but I made it through..

 

[noreastDIVER84]

The first night dive I did was actually also the first dive for my drift certification. I have been hooked since then. I find it nicer diving then. There is more to see, and less people around. The last time I did a night dive it was full moon and I turn of my light to see nothing other then my buddy's light. Although that last dive also had maybe 4' visibility too.