Night Diving - love or hate?

[Hintermann]

When I started diving back in 2006, I had only 8 open water dives in my logbook when I went to Australia and joined a 4-day liveaboard cruise of the Great Barrier Reef without even being sure what it would be like. The 4th dive on the first dive day was a night dive - my 12th dive overall. I loved it and since then have been hooked into 2 aspects of diving - liveaboard cruises and night diving. From then till now I have only missed one opportunity to do night diving and to date 72 of my 453 logged dives have been night dives. I love going looking for critters in nooks and crannies and sometimes finding something totally unexpected.

The other divers that I have met seem to fall into 2 distinct groups - those who love night diving like me and grab every opportunity to do so and others who will not be tempted even if otherwise vastly experienced. On liveaboard cruises especially, I have found that the same people gear-up for night dives with me and the same others sit it out.

So what do members here generally think of night diving?

 

[tbone1004]

I'm a cave diver, so night diving doesn't bother me, but night diving on the reefs is much cooler than day diving for me.

 

[MB NZ]

generally can't be bothered. i'm usually showered, dry and drinking a cold beer by the time the night dive comes around. on a week long liveaboard, i'll save myself a little nitrogen loading by skipping the night dive.

true, some critters come out at night that you don't often see during the day, but apart from one night dive i skipped (divers repeatedly and unexpectedly buzzed by a fur seal!), can't remember feeling like i missed out.

i do night dives occasionally, so can't say i hate them. more like indifferent.

totally agree about liveaboard diving, the only way to go!

 

[diverjen]

I really like the pre dusk to dusk dive time. The night dive I love if you go to the right spot and can see critters!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I love night diving, especially this time of year ... which is good since it's dark most of the time.

My all-time favorite dives when on vacation are early morning ... get in the water while it's still dark and watch the water slowly get brighter as dawn approaches. The critters out and about when I end the dive are usually completely different than the ones that were out and about when I began it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[the_dragon_no1]

Don't matter what i think.. pretty much dark 24/7 here now, so just have to like it. lol. But yeah it's fun! The "good old" boring spot will be like a new spot during a nightdive

 

[chillyinCanada]

It's a love/hate relationship for me.

 

[g1138]

The only 2 things I hate with night diving is
1) off a boat when the entire boat load of divers is hanging on the anchor line.

It makes it impossible to hold reference/depth when the line's bouncing in 10ft swings.
So the only safe option is to hang to the line and bounce with it, or glue yourself to your computer and ignore everything around you as you descend.

Unfortunately for me, I'm always paired with a diver clinging to the line, so I have to put up.


and
2) Having to pack up, warm up, and drive home from a shore night dive. And then rinse gear before sleep.


Outside of that I like night diving. I just generally don't pursue it.

 

[AfterDark]

Not like night diving?!?! Those that don't like night diving have probably never done it. I challenge anyone to do a night dive at any normally interesting site and not be in awe by the end of the dive. One of my dive buddies wasn't interested in night diving no matter how often I offered to take him. Then one solo trip he tried it on his own he's now hooked. Not like night diving that's like not liking sex!

 

[TMHeimer]

I took the course and did a little of it since. As a shell collector I heard you have better luck at night--didn't find that to be true (maybe didn't give it enough of a chance). But I'm like AndrewRawlingson in that I like to be done with diving by night (with everything rinsed) and in front of the TV.