Night diving without certification

[mikemill]

You can also observe how certain animals respond to light. IE there was a crab my brother and I saw and every time we'd shine our light on him he'd stop, once the light was off he'd continue on his way. Allowed us to stop him and take some pictures when he was in a good spot

 

[boulderjohn]

You should also be careful about shining your light too long on a fish that is using the darkness to protect itself from predators. That neat fish you are staring at may become a midnight snack as you watch.

 

[mikemill]

As long as I got my camera

But you are right, that is a good thing to keep in mind

 

[tmacdiver]

I took the night dive course, great fun!! One of the most usefull things I learned was how to set up my lights on the shore { triangle shape with two additional lights down the center} to ensure that I was able to find my way back to the appropriate exit point close to my car. If it is very dark outside, no moon, rain ect. it can be hard to know how close you are to the car when you surface, lol. I also learned some cool tips regarding dropping a strobe at the exit point under the water to allow me to exit at the correct spot. All this as well as proper dive light technique { learned how not to blind anyone, lol}.
Tom

 

[Sas]

A night diving certification is quite silly....

I do not think it is always silly. If someone has no experienced buddies and is brand new to diving, they might feel better to have an instructor around (not everyone who is new knows someone to take them out night diving). But, I think the vast majority of people do not need a course.

Anyway, sunshinecat, if you can avoid doing the course I'd recommend this. I did the night diving course as part of my AOW and did not find it anything more than common sense. (though I was never actually taught light signals - just told to shine my torch on my hand and make signs that way! Light signals are much easier so I am not sure why we were not taught these...). These days I do about a third of my dives at night as I prefer it to the day time. I find my diving more focused and there is a lot more to see at night that I am interested in (cephalopods). The critters are much more curious too and will often swim right up to your lights. It is also cool just to float around in the dark with my torch off.

Have fun on your night dives!

 

[Rick Inman]

I don't even know why there is a night diving certification.

Oh yes you do. $

 

[Doubler]

Best night dive I ever did was the Tokai Maru, Apra Harbor Guam on a crystal clear night under a full moon sans lights. Awesome. After your eyes adjust it is amazing what you actually see.

 

[billymac60]

Oh yes you do. $

I think we all know why!!

But hey, for some folks, it may be a good confidence builder.

 

[Jupiter31]

I don't even know why there is a night diving certification.

Money

And another item for "card collectors"

 

[elan]

I have not taken the night diving cert and cannot judge how silly it is but I can tell for sure that it's not as easy as it might seem from a first look.
IMHO as during the night dive or low vis dive you should be able to control your buoyancy well and have nav skills. You need to be able to check your depth quickly when necessary. And definitely know the signals and have a backup light. Absence of natural light just adds another task to manage.

While our gurus will tell you it's easy going I have not found it as easy as they say when I started doing it especially in cold water in a dry suit But in a warm water it can be easy probably. If you do it make sure you have someone in the group who knows what he is doing. That's my inexperienced humble opinion.