I've got to admit right out front, I've got relatively few night dives. Not for lack of effort, but more or less the lack of availability to hop in at night and go. I'm not shy of when I dive, just creating the opportunities to be able to dive since I have to dedicate about 6 hours for travel and dive time alone. The purpose behind me posting this is to share a dive experience at a favorite site from a different angle than I usually see it.
My quest for 2006 was to have as many DIFFERENT experiences diving as I could possibly create with what resources are accessable. This year has been a year as such and I've got to say that a recent night dive experience has had me longing to do more.
The dive was off of Venice Beach, FL and for me the whole goal of the night dive was to try something different at a location I have only done day light hours dives for the last 3 years. I met up with some other SBers and we geared up, checked eachother out, tied on glow sticks, grabbed our goodie bags (hey its VB, land of fossil shark teeth!) and headed out to watch sunset and into the night.
My first impressions were that it was going to be a real bum of a dive that would probably be cut short. After dropping down into the somewhat poor vis water, my buddy was immediately lost visibly, though I could still hear her. After a few moments on bottom we ran into eachother, literally, and we headed 270 to deeper water. Dual purpose with this is that we were 1) to shallow for the fossil beds, 2) the water usually clears more when farther out from the sand bars.
Then sunset happened. Nothing spectacular.. the water became this very interesting bright grey (more than the initial descent) then it faded to black over the course of about 5 minutes. Lights were already on anyway, its how we were able to keep track of one another only a few feet apart then it became appearent that visibility had increased dramatically. I could see my buddy fairly well at approximately 12' seperation where as it was only sound before.
I won't speculate about things that go bump
in the dark. 
I do want to speculate on a theory. This percievingly poor visibility day that became clear after sunset... is it possible that the water clarity was the same as earlier, but the difference being that light refraction was limiting what was seen? In other words, the light from the sun was both at an angle, refaction in the water angled it more, and further, the particles floating in the water reflected this light around pretty much making it, well, poor visibility?
OK enough of the speculation. Over all the dive presented a whole different look at a site I have been at so many times I can almost dive it blindfolded. Some observations I made during the dive were that the majority of the critters I saw out and about during the day were completely missing, be it they were in a hiding place or something of that nature is entirely possible, but mostly perplexing since the bottom is predominately sand and pebble and very little vegetation. Another observation was how QUIET it was. Normally there is the popping of shrimp, not this time. Errie quiet, just the Darth Vader sounds of us breathing. My favorite observation was the absolute lack of boat noice which usually means our dive flag is going to get buzzed while we cower in fear at 18' watching a boat drive around our surface marker with a big dive flag on it.
One final observation - post dive I noticed I was much more relaxed, zen feeling, than normal. The entire drive home I was just AWAKE with a clear mind and feeling great... it carried over a few days where as normally I'm over the last dive I had and want another one in a day or two, I was savoring this one for some time.
My quest for 2006 was to have as many DIFFERENT experiences diving as I could possibly create with what resources are accessable. This year has been a year as such and I've got to say that a recent night dive experience has had me longing to do more.
The dive was off of Venice Beach, FL and for me the whole goal of the night dive was to try something different at a location I have only done day light hours dives for the last 3 years. I met up with some other SBers and we geared up, checked eachother out, tied on glow sticks, grabbed our goodie bags (hey its VB, land of fossil shark teeth!) and headed out to watch sunset and into the night.
My first impressions were that it was going to be a real bum of a dive that would probably be cut short. After dropping down into the somewhat poor vis water, my buddy was immediately lost visibly, though I could still hear her. After a few moments on bottom we ran into eachother, literally, and we headed 270 to deeper water. Dual purpose with this is that we were 1) to shallow for the fossil beds, 2) the water usually clears more when farther out from the sand bars.
Then sunset happened. Nothing spectacular.. the water became this very interesting bright grey (more than the initial descent) then it faded to black over the course of about 5 minutes. Lights were already on anyway, its how we were able to keep track of one another only a few feet apart then it became appearent that visibility had increased dramatically. I could see my buddy fairly well at approximately 12' seperation where as it was only sound before.
I won't speculate about things that go bump
in the dark. I do want to speculate on a theory. This percievingly poor visibility day that became clear after sunset... is it possible that the water clarity was the same as earlier, but the difference being that light refraction was limiting what was seen? In other words, the light from the sun was both at an angle, refaction in the water angled it more, and further, the particles floating in the water reflected this light around pretty much making it, well, poor visibility?
OK enough of the speculation. Over all the dive presented a whole different look at a site I have been at so many times I can almost dive it blindfolded. Some observations I made during the dive were that the majority of the critters I saw out and about during the day were completely missing, be it they were in a hiding place or something of that nature is entirely possible, but mostly perplexing since the bottom is predominately sand and pebble and very little vegetation. Another observation was how QUIET it was. Normally there is the popping of shrimp, not this time. Errie quiet, just the Darth Vader sounds of us breathing. My favorite observation was the absolute lack of boat noice which usually means our dive flag is going to get buzzed while we cower in fear at 18' watching a boat drive around our surface marker with a big dive flag on it.
One final observation - post dive I noticed I was much more relaxed, zen feeling, than normal. The entire drive home I was just AWAKE with a clear mind and feeling great... it carried over a few days where as normally I'm over the last dive I had and want another one in a day or two, I was savoring this one for some time.
