Question Night Diving - requirements, insurance coverage, WRSTC

[NorCalDM]

Perhaps you've never tried to teach Night to relatively new divers. It is a LOT more that light handling! For example, buoyancy control is much harder when you have fewer visual clues as to your position in the water.

Your denigration of Boat has some truth -- for the old Boat diver course. The new one has a lot more material in it, and is especially valuable to people with no experience on boats. Not everyone will learn a lot in the Boat specialty, especially of they have been around boats a lot, but there are a lot of land-locked divers who've never been on a boat, and they have a lot to learn and experience. Also, watching some "experienced" boat divers take up a lot of space with their gear lying all over the deck and benches makes me think they could benefit from a good class -- or whack on the head -- too.

I have and for me buoyancy control is a separate issue as locally we train and dive in limited visibility anyway so going night diving you're just adding a light. Both of these specialties are regionally dependent in my opinion as boat diving is different around the world and what applies in one place may not apply in another. Some of the experience needs to be gained by doing it, taking a boat diving class in the Caribbean is not going to help you in California when the boat is sitting in the middle of a kelp bed and no guide going in the water with you. I'm not saying one is better than the other just different.

 

[tursiops]

I have and for me buoyancy control is a separate issue as locally we train and dive in limited visibility anyway so going night diving you're just adding a light. Both of these specialties are regionally dependent in my opinion as boat diving is different around the world and what applies in one place may not apply in another. Some of the experience needs to be gained by doing it, taking a boat diving class in the Caribbean is not going to help you in California when the boat is sitting in the middle of a kelp bed and no guide going in the water with you. I'm not saying one is better than the other just different.

It sounds like we agree that the difference is in the experience, especially for the haptic learners. That's why "learning from a book" is insufficient for lots of folks.

 

[chapells]

It sounds like we agree that the difference is in the experience, especially for the haptic learners. That's why "learning from a book" is insufficient for lots of folks.

Although still just a beginner compared to so many on here - I agree about experience being the real "tell" for a diver. I got my OW and AOW within the space of a little over one year- and beyond those certs have only since added Nitrox. That was 8-9 years ago - and although my cert level hasn't changed in the intervening time, I'm much better diver today than when I first got the cert !!

And on my first night dive, during the AOW course, my buoyancy control was horrible. Mainly because I was so amazed when we turned lights off and saw the fluorescing wild life by sweeping my hands through the water - that I rose up 10-15 feet before I settled down. From that I learned that I have to be more vigilant than normal at night to pay attention to the little signals that I'm moving up/down in the water.

 

[tursiops]

Although still just a beginner compared to so many on here - I agree about experience being the real "tell" for a diver. I got my OW and AOW within the space of a little over one year- and beyond those certs have only since added Nitrox. That was 8-9 years ago - and although my cert level hasn't changed in the intervening time, I'm much better diver today than when I first got the cert !!

And on my first night dive, during the AOW course, my buoyancy control was horrible. Mainly because I was so amazed when we turned lights off and saw the fluorescing wild life by sweeping my hands through the water - that I rose up 10-15 feet before I settled down. From that I learned that I have to be more vigilant than normal at night to pay attention to the little signals that I'm moving up/down in the water.

Exactly! Good for you.

 

[mcohen1021]

I was recently on a night dive where both of my lights failed. It was The Bahamas, crystal clear waters and moonlight, but I did the entire 21 minute dive without a light. I finished my dive under the boat where the down lights were. Maybe I've been doing this so long I'm comfortable in just about any situation, but I don't consider a night dive any different than a day dive.

 

[dmaziuk]

I searched the DAN insurance coverage, but it is not really clear for me if it is covered or not. Same for the WRSTC standards.

DAN coverage for what? It'd be weird if they refused to pay for your chamber ride because it was dark when you got bent, but it's insurance, so... who knows.

 

[tursiops]

I searched the DAN insurance coverage, but it is not really clear for me if it is covered or not.

What statement in the DAN coverage description makes you uncertain?

Same for the WRSTC standards.

WRSTC is irrelevant; it is solely about training standards, not diving standards once certified.

 

[Hojo in SC]

I was recently on a night dive where both of my lights failed. It was The Bahamas, crystal clear waters and moonlight, but I did the entire 21 minute dive without a light. I finished my dive under the boat where the down lights were. Maybe I've been doing this so long I'm comfortable in just about any situation, but I don't consider a night dive any different than a day dive.

Talk about bad luck, curious how they both failed.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Night dive USED to be one of the three core dives in PADI AOW course. So you really need a AOW card to do a night dive(my experience) but that is history.
Would the operator insist on night dive speciality card? No idea but many of them do request the DEEP speciality card to go beyond 30m.
Many dive guides do not have DM qualification. As for the insurance coverage? Interesting question because you were not trained to do night dive!

Claiming you need an AOW certificate for night diving is incorrect. There is no requirement except to be certified and I know many OW divers who do night dives. In many places dive guides only need to be rescue certified.

I have never been asked for a deep specialty card to dive deeper than 30m. It is not a requirement to have one either. Anyone claiming you need a deep diving cert from PADI is lying to you.

From PADI's own blog site

Recreational Depth Limits​

The maximum depth for recreational diving is 40m/130ft.*


Open Water Divers are trained to dive to a maximum depth of 18m/60ft, while Advanced open water divers can explore deeper, to a maximum of 40m/130ft.

Can Open Water Divers dive deeper than 18m/60tf?​

Frankly, yes. There is no scuba police out there to stop you

How Deep Can You Scuba Dive?

Learn about the maximum depth limit for scuba diving, how deep a 10-11 or 12-14 year old can dive, and the world record for deepest dive.

blog.padi.com

 

[Centrals]

Claiming you need an AOW certificate for night diving is incorrect. There is no requirement except to be certified and I know many OW divers who do night dives. In many places dive guides only need to be rescue certified.

I have never been asked for a deep specialty card to dive deeper than 30m. It is not a requirement to have one either.

LOL
I claimed nothing!
PADI AOW course USED to include night dive as one of the three core dives! So all PADI AOW divers were taught on night dive until PADI changed the structure of the course.
Read the question what the OP asked on insurance coverage #1! Too hard for you to understand the meaning of diving beyond training? Does not surprise me at all! LOL.
You had never been asked for a deep speciality for dive deeper than 30m. Your own experience not mine or others #3!! And your own experience count NOTHING. Plenty to learn.