New to Night Diving

[Blackrock]

Some of these may seem like stupid questions, but here goes...

My buddy and I are going to Bonaire in January for 2 weeks. We were certified 2 years ago and have about 25 dives under our belts. We have never been night diving but have decided to give it a try. What better place to try than in the conditions of Bonaire, right? But basically, we have no idea what we're in for. We need some advice from the experts that live on these boards.

*Do we need to learn any special skills before going night diving?

*Do we need to go through any training first?

*How much different is it from day diving? IOW, what should we be mindful of?

*Aside from your light(s) going out, is there anything else that can go wrong that's specific to night diving?

*Do we need strobes to mark each others' position?

*Since we'll be shore diving, do we need to mark the entry/exit points with something? (I don't think the Bonaire Marine Park allows glow-sticks)

*I know we'll need a primary and backup light. Is LED technology good enough yet?

:11doh:I know...that's a lot of questions. Any help/advice you guys could give would be much appreciated. You don't necessarily have to stick to the questions. Thanks in advance!

 

[Nick_W]

To answer your second question I'll just say that the answer to all of your other questions can be found in an AOW course.

 

[Blackrock]

Do we need to take AOW before night diving, or are you just suggesting it might be a good idea? I'm pretty sure we don't have time to fit that in before we go.

 

[Nick_W]

I honestly don't know if it is required or not down there for you have AOW certification to do a night dive.

I just found it rather ironic that every question you asked is covered in an AOW course.

 

[dpbishop]

1. Brush up on your navigation. When you dive, count the number of kicks until you descend, then do a box course by the compass so you end up where you started with 1000 Lbs. That way you can return to shore underwater.

2. In good visibility it's actually easier to maintain buddy contact at night than during the daylight. Agree on some light signs ahead of time to facilitate communication.

3. Have fun. Night diving will introduce you to a whole new cast of characters.

4. I use an LED light as a back-up, but carry a big Uk halogen for my primary.

 

[Eris Lucan7*]

Halogenlamps are best leds are good for a jacketlamp.

E.L.7*

 

[Scuba.com]

If you don't have time to take a Night Diving Specialty course or your AOW course, I'd at the very least recommend either doing a night dive or two beforehand with somebody experienced in night diving OR get a DM or guide in Bonaire to lead you on a night of diving.

Night diving isn't difficult and it is far and away my favorite dive to make. You can see creatures you wouldn't normally get to see during your dives as well as others that are asleep that would normally be out and about. Frequently divers feel they see a great deal more on a night dive than the exact same day dive because with the limited range of their lights make them concentrate on what they see more.

You'll need a good main light as well as a decent back up light. I like my backup light to be strong enough that I could feasibly finish the dive if I so chose, but at the very least let me return to shore or the boat and not have to bail to the surface to do it. A luminous compass is a must as well as a basic knowledge on how to use it underwater. Chem sticks or some other form of tank marking light to help you locate your buddy underwater, and if you are in a party of more than just you and your buddy it's often nice to have a handful of colors so you can tell pairs of buddies apart. Finally a little bit of practice on how to communicate underwater. Signals using your light, etc.

MOst of all, relax and enjoy it!!!

 

[marshallkarp]

Relax. You will find that night diving is really cool. My suggestion, always change your flashlight batteries before you night dive and always take a back-up flashlight.

 

[redrover]

What they said. The Night Diving Specialty is one of the AOW options. Maybe you could get your hand on a Padi AOW class book (probably other agencies do the same). I did night diving long before AOW and except for it being dark, no different. (Did the night dive as it’s the Manta Ray Dive here, class didn’t tell me anything I didn’t know.) Some people here have not been happy at all night diving and with few dives you might want to consider your general feeling about being in the dark in general. A search for ‘night diving’ should get you a number of threads where this has been discussed thoroughly. Wouldn't do a night dive fresh off the plane, dive it in the daytime with a shallow small area to cover and familarize yourself with topography etc. anticipating the night dive.
Oh, have surface support. Car headlights are nice, high and bright to help where to return and exit in general.

 

[ClayJar]

Do we need to learn any special skills before going night diving? Do we need to go through any training first? How much different is it from day diving? IOW, what should we be mindful of? Aside from your light(s) going out, is there anything else that can go wrong that's specific to night diving?

The physics of night diving is no different than the physics of day diving. The only difference is that you may have much less broad perception. If you're not comfortable in the water, you'll be even less comfortable diving with the reduced visual input of night diving.

On the other hand, there's really not much too it *if* you have everything down. Buoyancy works the same, as does trim, so if you've got those nailed during the day, it's just a matter of knowing how to wield your light in order to have enough information not to run into anything. You have to be more proactive at looking around you with your light, as you may have basically no peripheral vision outside your light field. You also need to be careful with buddy distance, as it can initially be much more difficult to judge due to the relative lack of references.

The hardest thing you're likely to encounter is depth and buoyancy management. You have to stay on top of things, or you're likely to find yourself on the bottom or at the surface when you didn't intend to be there, and that can have physiological repercussions. (Watch your depths and ascent rates like a hawk... um... well, like an underwater scuba hawk.)

Do we need strobes to mark each others' position?

No. Your lights should be *more* than adequate to know where you are, especially since you'll be diving closer together in order to not fall victim to the misperception of buddy distance that was mentioned just moments ago.

Since we'll be shore diving, do we need to mark the entry/exit points with something? (I don't think the Bonaire Marine Park allows glow-sticks)

I'm not familiar with the sites you'll be diving, so I really can't say. I suppose if you go to the buoy and descend there, you can take a bearing to the shore exit from there and leave some type of light to mark the buoy. Then you could return to that point, retrieve the marker, and follow the bearing back to shore. If that works, it should get you close enough, eh?

I know we'll need a primary and backup light. Is LED technology good enough yet?

I use LED for all my lights. It's certainly not enough to cut through silt-outs like a big HID can light, but for the vast majority of my diving, it's certainly ample. I doubt you're going to end up in zero viz in Bonaire, so you should be able to use LED lights with no problems, and since they don't burn batteries as fast as halogens (and are more durable if your luggage is involved in a rugby scrum on the way down), they should work well. You're not going to be far enough away to need a super-focused mega-light, are you, especially not after the whole "watch that you don't underestimate buddy separations" thing earlier, eh? :biggrin: