- Messages
- 704
- Reaction score
- 61
- Location
- Winston, Georgia, United States
- # of dives
- I just don't log dives
I also took the Night Dive specialty and thought it was great. My Instructor did go over proper lighting signals, rules for not shining the light in your buddy's face to communicate, and exit and entries for night diving. To the OP I would say that you have seen many responses for and against the need to take a formal specialty course in night diving to be able to do a night dive. My response would depend on the resources you have available to you. If you have experienced divers around you who can educate you on how to properly conduct a night dive, then I would say that a formal class may not be necessary. Just make sure these are people that you trust. If you do not have such people around you, I would recommend taking the class. As others have eluded to, there is a great deal to be learned from a competent Instructor.
From an educational perspective, many people here seem to think that formal education regarding many aspects of diving is unnecessary. The concern that I have for this philosophical approach is the assumption that if it is easy for one person it must be easy for all. Just because night diving is not difficult for you does not mean that it may not be challenging for someone else. While everyone does not require formal training to dive at night, others my appreciate the assistance of an experienced professional to make sure they are comfortable, educated, and competent to truly enjoy the night dive. Many have eluded here to the "spooky" factor, which for many is genuine. It is a very different experience to dive at night. What if your lights go out? What if you become lost or disoriented? Why if you experience an OOA emergency while night diving? What if someone approaches you with an OOA emergency? How can you tell your dive buddy from the 10 other divers in the water? It is nice to experience these issues under the protective eye of an Instructor. Can an educated dive buddy accomplish the same feat? Probably. For those without such a person, a formal class may be invaluable.
I completed a GREAT trip to Cozumel last month and we did two night dives. The dives were fantastic. However, the other divers on the boat demonstrated the worst night diving skills I have seen. They were lying on the coral to take pictures. They were poking the animals to get them to move to take their picture. They were standing on the bottom to get oriented. These may seem like obvious errors in diving skills to a seasoned diver, but to new divers, this may be the only way they know to dive at night without someone guiding them. While it is easy for experienced divers to assume that many aspects of diving are easy, I would ask that they see questions like the OP's from an inexperienced divers perspective. Your comments and statements carry a great deal of weight in this forum.
From an educational perspective, many people here seem to think that formal education regarding many aspects of diving is unnecessary. The concern that I have for this philosophical approach is the assumption that if it is easy for one person it must be easy for all. Just because night diving is not difficult for you does not mean that it may not be challenging for someone else. While everyone does not require formal training to dive at night, others my appreciate the assistance of an experienced professional to make sure they are comfortable, educated, and competent to truly enjoy the night dive. Many have eluded here to the "spooky" factor, which for many is genuine. It is a very different experience to dive at night. What if your lights go out? What if you become lost or disoriented? Why if you experience an OOA emergency while night diving? What if someone approaches you with an OOA emergency? How can you tell your dive buddy from the 10 other divers in the water? It is nice to experience these issues under the protective eye of an Instructor. Can an educated dive buddy accomplish the same feat? Probably. For those without such a person, a formal class may be invaluable.
I completed a GREAT trip to Cozumel last month and we did two night dives. The dives were fantastic. However, the other divers on the boat demonstrated the worst night diving skills I have seen. They were lying on the coral to take pictures. They were poking the animals to get them to move to take their picture. They were standing on the bottom to get oriented. These may seem like obvious errors in diving skills to a seasoned diver, but to new divers, this may be the only way they know to dive at night without someone guiding them. While it is easy for experienced divers to assume that many aspects of diving are easy, I would ask that they see questions like the OP's from an inexperienced divers perspective. Your comments and statements carry a great deal of weight in this forum.
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