Buddy wants me to take him night diving?

[RDRINK25]

Trip report!

We had a great dive! There was a bit of a hiccup to start. We arrived late at 930 and had to be out of the water by 11. So we were a little rushed getting geared up and in the water. Once we headed down to the water he found out his tank wasn't secure and fell as he was walking. We spent 10 or so mins making sure it was and headed in. By this time it was pushing 1030 so I knew we only had 30 min top. We stayed shallow 25' max and he did great other than blinding me a few times but that was expected. My main light did 20 min in so I switched to my backup and did a safety stop at 15' watching some eels chase some food. I think the dive would have gone flawless if we were not so rushed. Thanks again all for the comments.

 

[T.C.]

Trip report!

We had a great dive! There was a bit of a hiccup to start. We arrived late at 930 and had to be out of the water by 11. So we were a little rushed getting geared up and in the water. Once we headed down to the water he found out his tank wasn't secure and fell as he was walking. We spent 10 or so mins making sure it was and headed in. By this time it was pushing 1030 so I knew we only had 30 min top. We stayed shallow 25' max and he did great other than blinding me a few times but that was expected. My main light did 20 min in so I switched to my backup and did a safety stop at 15' watching some eels chase some food. I think the dive would have gone flawless if we were not so rushed. Thanks again all for the comments.

Awesome to hear. Now, you all have some points that you can talk about and work on your next night dive.

Glad to hear that the naysayers didn't talk you out of it.

 

[Fundive123]

Trip report!

We had a great dive! There was a bit of a hiccup to start. We arrived late at 930 and had to be out of the water by 11. So we were a little rushed getting geared up and in the water. Once we headed down to the water he found out his tank wasn't secure and fell as he was walking. We spent 10 or so mins making sure it was and headed in. By this time it was pushing 1030 so I knew we only had 30 min top. We stayed shallow 25' max and he did great other than blinding me a few times but that was expected. My main light did 20 min in so I switched to my backup and did a safety stop at 15' watching some eels chase some food. I think the dive would have gone flawless if we were not so rushed. Thanks again all for the comments.

Excellent, glad to hear it was a great dive! That does sound like a time crunch, but still sounds like the both of you had a blast in that time limit.

 

[Steve_C]

Thanks for the report. And you learned the valuable lesson that taking a few extra minutes can prevent a lot of problems.

 

[tphelps]

If it is his first night dive then I would be extra cautious of dive conditions. You want him to have a good first impression and 0 feet viz/a rough exit might leave him never wanting to do another night dive again.

I recommend going to a site that is familiar to you both (which it sounds like you are). It might be a good idea to do 1 late afternoon dive before the night dive and you guys can go through an exact run-though of what your night dive will be like. Even though there will be light out, you guys can still navigate/communicate like you would be doing at night. Run through emergency procedures as well like what to do if you get separated during the dive. Ultimately the idea is you both should be very comfortable before diving at night.

Best wishes, aloha!

 

[scubastingray]

My main light did 20 min in so I switched to my backup and did a safety stop at 15' watching some eels chase some food.

What primary do you have that has such atrocious battery life? Or were they just not charged?

 

[CosFragger]

I find it cute that he made a 15' safety stop after a max depth of 25'. Glad you had a great time even though you bt was limited.

 

[T.C.]

I find it cute that he made a 15' safety stop after a max depth of 25'. Glad you had a great time even though you bt was limited.

"Train as you fight".

It's always good to adhere to the basics, even when not technically needed. He's to be commended. Many divers don't even do a safety stop after a regular dive.

 

[CosFragger]

"Train as you fight".

It's always good to adhere to the basics, even when not technically needed. He's to be commended. Many divers don't even do a safety stop after a regular dive.

That's why i said cute. I applaud him for this. I do agree that many divers don't practice making a safety stop.

 

[Diver0001]

I'd say when he asks a bunch of [-]knuckleheads[/-] experts on the internet if he should cancel his night dive.

Well, Bob, I actually think that a thread like this could help someone.

One of the things we need to avoid on internet forums is a "group think" bias. There is never one "correct" answer for a question like that. On this thread people have put out a number of different opinions, all of which are valid points to consider and it is *exactly* that diversity of opinion that means that all angles will be discussed. The OP doesn't have to worry about not thinking about that one REALLY important thing.... because it's all out there.

Obviously, not everyone agrees with each other and yes, there is a tendency on forums that "he who screams loudest wins", but as long as both the people who agree with you AND the "knuckleheads" are able to debate the issue then all of the important points will be put on the table.

R..