Night diving - what is it like?

[Storker]

Night diving can be surreal, in a really neat way.

Oh yeah. It's pitch black, you're hovering in the middle of nothingness. The only things in the universe that register are your light's beam and what's in it, your buddy's light out on the flank, and the sound of your bubbles. Even if you don't get to see all those cool critters they tell you about, it's still an amazing experience.

If you're uncomfortable with the nothingness below you, try doing it as a shore dive. That way you can keep visual contact with the bottom at all times.

 

[Dan]

If this night dive will be your first time, don’t be like these guys that I posted in Bad buddies...:
I had 2 insta-buddies (which also were newbies) during a night dive, so it’s a double whammy in terms of making a bad situation worse. We talked about how we were going to dive it, i.e., by staying closed together, going down on anchor line & turning left for a few meters, turning around & back to the anchor line when the tank reach 2/3 full, mine would be 2000psi & theirs would be 140 bar (it’s in GBR).

We had fun looking at jackfish taking advantage of our lights to hunt for meal. I saw a green moray, barramundi & took pictures of them, pointing the fish to them. I saw some critters and other interesting fish & took more pictures. After awhile I looked at my gauge, it’s 2000 psig, it’s time to go back, but I didn’t see the two insta-buddies any more, only 2 faint lights at the distant. So here I went finning as fast as I could to keep up with them. I was sure those were my 2 insta-buddies because any where else around me was pitch black.

By the time I reached back to the anchor line, I saw a few divers hanging on the line for safety stop. I looked at my gauge, it was 1000 psig, checked if any of them were my buddies, but none of them were. My dive computer said that I had done my safety stop during the furiously finning back to the anchor line as we were diving not too deep anyway. The deepest bottom was 30 feet. So I continued finning back to the boat.

The minute I was back on the boat, I heard the DM lecturing my 2 buddies about not letting to fill up their tanks if they do it again, whatever the “it” meant. He turned & looked at me climbing up the ladder, came to me & checked my gauge, showing 750 psig and continued chewing on the 2 newbies. Apparently, one of my insta-buddies had found out that he was low on air and took off leaving me behind with his buddy chasing him. By the time he was back on the boat, he was OOA. The 2nd buddy had not much air left in the tank either.

The DM told them if they were low on air, they should have popped up to the surface & alerted the crew to come and get them with skiff there instead of finning like mad back to the boat & ended up with OOA.

Sometime you may think that you have a sound plan, but not enough detail and assume your insta-buddies know what to do if SHTF.

 

[Dogbowl]

If this night dive will be your first time, don’t be like these guys that I posted in Bad buddies...:
I had 2 insta-buddies (which also were newbies) during a night dive, so it’s a double whammy in terms of making a bad situation worse. We talked about how we were going to dive it, i.e., by staying closed together, going down on anchor line & turning left for a few meters, turning around & back to the anchor line when the tank reach 2/3 full, mine would be 2000psi & theirs would be 140 bar (it’s in GBR).

We had fun looking at jackfish taking advantage of our lights to hunt for meal. I saw a green moray, barramundi & took pictures of them, pointing the fish to them. I saw some critters and other interesting fish & took more pictures. After awhile I looked at my gauge, it’s 2000 psig, it’s time to go back, but I didn’t see the two insta-buddies any more, only 2 faint lights at the distant. So here I went finning as fast as I could to keep up with them. I was sure those were my 2 insta-buddies because any where else around me was pitch black.

By the time I reached back to the anchor line, I saw a few divers hanging on the line for safety stop. I looked at my gauge, it was 1000 psig, checked if any of them were my buddies, but none of them were. My dive computer said that I had done my safety stop during the furiously finning back to the anchor line as we were diving not too deep anyway. The deepest bottom was 30 feet. So I continued finning back to the boat.

The minute I was back on the boat, I heard the DM lecturing my 2 buddies about not letting to fill up their tanks if they do it again, whatever the “it” meant. He turned & looked at me climbing up the ladder, came to me & checked my gauge, showing 750 psig and continued chewing on the 2 newbies. Apparently, one of my insta-buddies had found out that he was low on air and took off leaving me behind with his buddy chasing him. By the time he was back on the boat, he was OOA. The 2nd buddy had not much air left in the tank either.

The DM told them if they were low on air, they should have popped up to the surface & alerted the crew to come and get them with skiff there instead of finning like mad back to the boat & ended up with OOA.

Sometime you may think that you have a sound plan, but not enough detail and assume your insta-buddies know what to do if SHTF.

Thanks! I'm not offended...really, I'm not, cause you just didn't suggest that we are going to be "those bad buddies". Just makes me go "huh"?

Yes, we are relatively new divers and we will be doing our first night dive with an instructor as part of AOW. Rest assured there will be no bad insta-buddies involved!

 

[Dan]

Thanks! I'm not offended...really, I'm not, cause you just didn't suggest that we are going to be "those bad buddies". Just makes me go "huh"?

Yes, we are relatively new divers and we will be doing our first night dive with an instructor as part of AOW. Rest assured there will be no bad insta-buddies involved!

I just wanted to share my night diving experience with newbies. Sh*t can happen during any dive. However if it happens during a pitch dark, you’ll have 2 problems, the problem 1 & zero visibility. Say your light were flooded, stay calm & just remember you have a buddy close by to help.

This situation remind me of a diver who had her primary reg freeflowing, went panicked, did CESA & got bent. She forgot about her octo & her buddy were there to help in such situation.

 

[FinnMom]

Nothing to be scared about. You will see more critter, more close-up and many many things will be amazingly beautiful. Start slow, such as in a small body of shallow, confined and familiar water and don't push yourself beyond what you find to be fun.
To help have peace of mind:
* Carry at least 1 backup. 2 backups is good too because you can always give one away or leave it hanging somewhere as a landmark.
* Test all your lights both before getting in the water and again right after getting them throughly wet.
* Make sure your backup is secured where you can lay your hand on it immediately (usually from a chest D-ring). You don't really need it IMMEDIATELY, but it's easier to feel calm when you know you can.
* Stop occasionally and try covering your light entirely with your hand/chest just to appreciate how much ambient light there really is and how well you can see even w/o a light.

You can also learn to communicate with lights - it's really easy to stay in contact with your buddy when you have decent lights and the darkness to see the beams. It's also fun & interesting to practise proper communication up and down a single-file line of divers. If there are lots of divers, find a quiet spot with your buddy to cover your own nights and watch everyone else's beams in the water: it's like you are inside a lava lamp, a disco, or watching the northern lights.

Even over-familar waters can be much more fun at night. Everything looks different, sometimes critters come out you had no idea actually lived in that site and many fish have this ridiculous idea that if they hide near any cover in the dark, you can't see them. When you see a 10" perch hiding tight behind a leaf 1/10th his size, you will know what I mean :-D

Take it at the pace you need to not be scared and you will find that night dives are lots of fun.

It's also nice to leave nights on land at the entry point, like a bonfire or a LED lantern. BTW To not get hurt on land, always keep 1 or two headband (i.e. handsfree) lamps in your car.

 

[vam]

I really enjoy night diving in Lake Simcoe Ontario. It does seem that I see more fish at night, and I don't mind the blackness of the surrounding water. One of the best parts when you're in a group is that even if you're ahead of other divers, you can still keep tabs on those behind are with you if they shine their lights ahead of themselves / under you. Most of us in the groups I dive with know to do this and it makes everyone more relaxed about staying together.

 

[Steelyeyes]

My best two night dives were:

Banda Sea, Wakatobi. Saw some large cuttlefish, one big squid, and a juvenile spade fish.

Night dive on the Vandenberg wreck Key West. Tip: Don't shine your light in a barracuda's eyes.

If you haven't been night diving I highly recommend trying it.

 

[Dogbowl]

My best two night dives were:

Banda Sea, Wakatobi. Saw some large cuttlefish, one big squid, and a juvenile spade fish.

Night dive on the Vandenberg wreck Key West. Tip: Don't shine your light in a barracuda's eyes.

If you haven't been night diving I highly recommend trying it.

What happens when you shine a light in a barracuda's eyes?

 

[Steelyeyes]

It blinded the barracuda temporarily. Since it was facing me it swam to get away and ran into my arm. It could have been worse.

 

[Storker]

Say your light were flooded, stay calm & just remember you have a buddy close by to help. deploy your backup light and call the dive.

FTFY