What equipment do I need for night diving

[mpgunner]

I use my same equipment (light and backup light) but I also added a small strobe light to my tank. A buddy had that and it was really easy to find him.

Be ready for fun. On one dive we had a 700lb sea lion swim under our lights at about 110ft. Pretty cool.

 

[kanonfodr]

re: strobes,

Depending on your diving conditions, a strobe is actually a good idea. A friend of mine dives in Lake Travis, which is normally dark, murky, forbidding, and green. She carries a strobe that gets strapped to her tank and it was the only thing that kept us together one night when we were still above the thermocline. It wasn't too noticeable in the water unless I was looking right at the thing, but when I was worried about losing her it got us back together.

That being said, in Hawaii I would get thrown off of the boat if I used one, as the water is much clearer. I got yelled at by a little old lady for my backup lights self-activating and shining behind me, even after the 5th time turning them off .

Peace,
Greg

 

[farsidefan1]

Consider a lesser lightMy favorite light has 2 lights in one. A red light which doesn't seem to bother the fish at all and with the flip of a switch I get the usual white light - which can scare anything into a hole. I use the red one to spot them then for a better look I shine the white beam a few feet away. That's when I'm not using black lights. Love to see the coral and some crustations glow.

 

[rligon]

UW Black Lights? Sounds interesting, who makes them?

 

[Diver0001]

I use my same equipment (light and backup light) but I also added a small strobe light to my tank. A buddy had that and it was really easy to find him.

I have a strobe and I've worn it under water in the past but stopped because my buddy complained that it was distracting.

I still use it though. I sometimes leave it on the dashboard of my car or hang it by the exit-point. In a couple of the spots where we dive at night it gets pretty dark and it can be hard to see where the exit is otherwise.

Something really funny happened the last time we did this. Once we got back to the car there was a guy parked nearby. He was looking for some "fun" and thought we left the strobe light in the car as an indication that we were "open for business"... LOL

He was ok, though. After the initial confusion we had a laugh about it and chatted with him for a bit. It turned out he was a diver too.

R..

 

[H2O 70]

I agree with a strobe on the dive flag, make sure it illuminates the flag or that you have another light that does. And never use a strobe as a tank light, it works OK for you but blinds everyone else around you (as was pointed out very strongly to me when I did it )

When you are looking at strobes, do not get a white strobe. If I'm not mistaken a white strobe is for emergency use only.

UW Black Lights? Sounds interesting, who makes them?

The Black Lights make them fluoresce. Photos I'm see look real cool. Except I believe there are groups looking into how these may actually damage the coral. To answer your question, I think most of them are DIY or some sort of modification of existing stuff.

 

[herman]

Depending on where you dive, don't go overboard with the light. I do a fair number of night dives in warm water and all I ever use is a Tec 40 with another one as a back up....and half the time both are off, you would be amazed at what you see with just the moon light. You really do not need the aircraft landing lights some carry. They scare off a lot of what you are there to see and you have to pack them- got to keep the travel weight restrictions in mind. Consider LED lights instead of conventional, they are plenty bright and consume a lot less power. Your batteries last a lot longer and you have to carry less of them.

I also have a Tec 40 converted to black light. There is a simple drop in LED replacemet bulb you can get for around $3. Do a search, I posted a link to the supplyer a week or so back. It's not super bright but produces plenty of light.....as long as you don't insist on lighting up the entire reef.

 

[fnfalman]

If it's just for open water, recreational diving then take it easy with the lights. You don't need a Death Star Lazer for open water, recreational diving. You just need enough light to see where you're going and a backup light for just in case. You don't want to scare the night life away with too bright of a light. The whole idea for night diving is to see nocturnal animals.

I use two Intova Nova torches, a focused beam one and a wide beam one. They both rated around 130-lumens or so.

The best part about night dive is if you happen to be in the middle of biophosphorescence. Turn off your light and enjoy the magic that Mother Nature had just given you.

 

[buckeye_sports]

I'm a new diver interested in night diving. How necessary are the night diving classes offered by PADI, etc.? Would it be safe to night dive without taking the classes (assuming I have the correct equipment)?

 

[fnfalman]

I'm a new diver interested in night diving. How necessary are the night diving classes offered by PADI, etc.? Would it be safe to night dive without taking the classes (assuming I have the correct equipment)?

No, you don't need a night diving a specialty to do a night dive. Just go with an experienced diver who's a good buddy AND don't go to a dive site that is too challenging for your current skills & experience. Otherwise, get some lights, get a tank light (optional) and enjoy the nocturnal magic. Your diving technique doesn't differ between day or night.

But if you must have a Night Diving Specialty Card then I'm sure that PADI would love to take your money.