Unsure about night diving?

[lulubelle]

I certainly was. My first night dive was horrid, I had new buddies who were speed demons and I lost sight of them while in strong current. Second one was just OK. This past week I was in Little Cayman and somewhat unenthusiastically told myself that I needed to try a couple more night dives before calling it quits.


WOW, can I tell you how glad I am that I persisted and got a little more experience.

Our dive Thursday night started out without much going on. Unless you count the two vertical divers whose fins were crashing down on our heads. My buddy and I split off from the group and were puttering around. For some odd reason I pointed my light up towards the surface and saw a school of baitfish. But then I noticed that my light made their eyes almost iridescent. I got a little closer and noticed that they had translucent pink bodies. What I was looking at was thousands of small squid up for a visit from the deep. We played with them for the rest of the dive. It was the most beautiful thing I saw all week. We also saw a baby cuttlefish, some decorator crabs, and fed bloodworms to the coral while down under.

Give it a try, and then another, and then another. I'm hooked.

 

[elmer fudd]

Around here it's pretty dark even in the daytime. Past about 60' you're generally diving in the dark anyway, so the difference between a day dive and a night dive is just one of degree and having the nocturnal creatures out and about.

I personally don't do much night diving at all. I just don't want to bother getting all geared up and then cleaning everything up afterwards that late. Winter time though we'll often do one last dive after sundown or get back after dark. It gets dark early here in December.

 

[TSandM]

Yes, any after work dive in Seattle in the wintertime is a night dive -- and I have learned to love them. So many things are out and about at night. And when we went to Cozumel, the very best dives were the ones at night.

 

[oggy666]

Cleaning the gear late does suck but the night experience is worth it. My favorite is the bioluminescence just amazing.

 

[Cave Diver]

What's a night dive?

 

[oggy666]

Does it cook the fish 2?

 

[Cave Diver]

Yes!!

 

[Tigerman]

I LOVE the night dives, especially if its not many divers around. Its so nice to just disconnect from the world and swim around with the sea creatures worrying about nothing but my diving and where my light shines..

 

[knowone]

You will never never know if you never never go.
And persist.
Conducting that glowing stuff is good.
Washing gear after dive after pub is washing tomorrow.
Shine your light in your own eyes, or a few yards ahead, because you should already know, where you are already.



YUK. Do you know what you were swimming in Garrobo. Alas yes, diving then eating then unconscious in the chair.

 

[Garrobo]

I've only done two night dives but they were great. I dove them with three and four people and a DM off of Islamorada. Luckily for us one of the dives was during the coral spawn. That was fantastic.The DM was one of those guys who wants everyone to see what he has found and goes about slowly. He showed us stuff that you would never see in the daytime including two types of lobster that only come out at night. One of the lobsters, small and reddish orange with claws, he had never seen. And this is a guy with over5000 dives, lots of them at night. I also liked the luminescence and other little critters in the water which you can't see during daylight. It was really relaxing to do these dives. I would do more but at my age a couple dives in the morning is usually all I need. I wish I had the stamina to do more.