CSSP Night Wall Diving

[MakoSince70]

After diving with all the Swampsters that celebrated Blue's new and cool gear at CSSP this Friday, Tropigal and I continued the weekend working with the Rescue class. Saturday night, Chris, another DM candidate, and I lead three advance students on a night dive. My first ever at CSSP. This was the students first night dive, they really got a charge out of it.

We crossed to the wall from the North dock. There were baby bass and perch sleeping along the wall. But,they used the wall rather than the bottom for the bottom. They were cool just hanging there. We found a couple of foot long bass sleeping like this. One of the students placed their face plate to the fish before it woke and took off in a blink of an eye.

For some reason the vis. appeared improved from what we experienced Friday

If you can't have Roatan, settle for the CSSP wall at night for a different dive.

HEY !! Congrats to Bill W. for graduating rescue. Bill and the rest of the Rescue students worked hard and had a great time.
Ask Bill to tell you about Tropigal's performance, an encore was requested.

 

[TropiGal]

Ditto to everything that Bill just said. It was a great weekend and I look forward to another one like it soon. Hope to see the TSDT out there again. Dive, dive, dive !!!

Hopefully, a wall dive this Saturday night the 21st......?

 

[blue32]

Oh I would love to try a night dive! Do I really need special training or could I try it being just an OW diver?

 

[MakoSince70]

Hey Blue,

You certainly can make a night dive with just your open water training. Both PADI and NAUI advance courses require a single night dive. However, your advance training does not provide such significant night training that I would classify the class as a must prior to your first night dive. HOWEVER, there are a few hard and fast rules that must be followed. AND, my personal advice is that you should make your first night dives with a buddy that has already accomplished a few.

First the few rules, check out an advance manual for more details.

1. You need three lights. Yes you really do.
The first is a personal light to mark you. Many folks use a chemical glow stick . Attach it to your tank yoke or first stage. This tells your buddy where you are.
The second light is your primary. The biggest light you have and the one you use. Finally carry a smaller light as your back up just in case your primary fails. Sounds like a lot but do you really want to find yourself at 50 ft with no light or buddy.

2. The second deal on lights is a shore or boat light. This marks your entrance and exit point. We put a gas latern on the dock at Terrell. At many places this will be an underwater stobe. When I see you, ask me about range lights. I am to lazy to type the explaination.

3. A good guideline, and a rule from both agencies is to dive the site during the day prior to the night dive. Makes since to be familiar with your underwater site prior to getting yourself lost at night.

4.Knowing your compass at night usually comes in handy.

5. Agree on signals. You cannot see that OK signal in the dark. We usually put the light on our hand and make the signal. Please no lights in your partners eyes. OK after a boat entry is the light on your head. Different signals are used by various divers. So you want to review them with your dive group.

6. The book says to decend on a line, or gradually sloping bottom. This is to avoid disorienetation.

7. Monitor your air consumption more frequently. That night adrenilene may consume your air. Surfacing with a safety margin greater than 500 psi is a good idea.

8. If you lose your buddy, cover your light and look for his light Never turn your light off. Block the beam with your stomach leg etc. You don't turn your light off, because if the bulb is going to fail, it will do so when the light is turned on or off. Isn't that the way your bulb burns out in your bathroom?
O-yea, if you don't find your buddy after 1 min, surface.

9. It is kind of spooky in the dark. Be aware and just contol your anxiey.

That's the basics. Tropigal and I will be at Terrell Saturday. If you can make it, we can do your first night dive. If you can let us know we can bring you some lights.

A basic rule is to be very familiar with your equipment. You are there with your new and cool stuff.

See you at 30 ft.

 

[sealskin98]

what time are y'all planning on being out there? Gary and I will meet up with you if you get there early enough.

Night dive? Oh boy!

Rats, I need to leave before dark.

 

[blue32]

I have to work both Saturday and Sunday nights this weekend so I won't be able to make it. Maybe next time.

 

[MakoSince70]

We plan to be at Terrell by 8:30 am. I will be working with an open water class until around 3:00pm.
I am also out for a night dive. Somebody gave me a bad cold. Most likely some nasty student passing my their octo during trainng.
If I don't improve, we won't even show for the day.
Hope all have a great weekend, even those who must work.