Night diving is one of those activities that at first blush, seems silly. After all, one of the first assessments that divers make of a new dive location is the “vis.” Why, then would a diver want to purposely dive where (or when) the visibility is zero? Anyone who’s done a number of night dives knows, however, that night diving can be exciting and give a whole new look to a familiar dive site. In addition, just as the plants and animals in, for example, a forest, can vary depending on the time of day and the amount of light, so can the organisms in the aquatic world. For that reason, night diving remains a popular twist on diving, so I would like to share my top six tips for night diving.
Always familiarize yourself with the site during the day. It will be easier to navigate your way in a dive site if, in addition to your compass and marker lights, you have a mental image of the site. Look for signs of creatures that you will want to find at night, such as basket stars, which are tightly bundled during the day, but open up at night to feed.
Take particular care to plan your dive. How will you enter? How long will you be down? What is your objective? What will be the plan if separated? Underwater, in the dark, there is a little less margin for error and complicates communication. Therefore, making a clear dive plan that both buddies agree on will go a long way to relieve stress and
Have a well maintained dive light and a backup dive light. Having a backup light will not only help to decrease the stress that can sometimes accompany night diving, but it will be a real life saver if your primary light fails. Be sure the light is secured to you before entering the water. It is good to have a light with a wide beam for night diving, but for your backup, the smaller light that you use during the day will work fine. Be sure to have fresh batteries in your light and turn it on before you enter the water.
Observe good light etiquette. Maintain control of your light, and do not shine it into other divers’ eyes, effectively blinding them. When making hand signals at night, point the light toward your body and make the hand signal in the beam so your buddy can see it. When pointing something out, do not shine your light directly on the animal. Rather, shine your light so the item is illuminated by the edge of your beam, where the light is less intense. Alternatively, trace a circle around the animal with your light. Be respectful of the marine life, too, remembering that divers can give predators an unfair advantage by pointing out unsuspecting prey. In addition, parrotfish, for example, can only make one cocoon per night, so if you disturb them while they are resting, they will be vulnerable to predators the rest of the night.
Learn how to get your buddy’s attention at night. As you are already aware, sound travels much faster in water than in air, so it is difficult to determine where the sound is coming from. Banging on your tank or use an underwater signaling device to attract your buddy’s attention during the day usually is a good method because the buddy hears the noise and then looks in all directions until he finds you. At night this does not work so well. A better technique would be to stay close to your buddy and use your dive light to signal him. Shine the beam of your light at his beam, and then move your beam slowly from side to side. Then move your beam slowly to the thing that you want to show your buddy, or to your hands if you need to communicate something (low on air, ascend, etc.) to him.
If you need to signal the boat at the surface, use a variation on the “big OK.” Inflate your BC so you are comfortably at the surface. With your arms raised over your head, point your dive light so it shines on your head. If you are in distress, shine the away from you and wave your arm. If you are diving from shore, set up your dive beacons to guide you back in to your entry spot.
If you want to learn more about night diving, and do a few dives under the supervision of your dive instructor, consider taking the Night Diving Specialty course. This course delves into more planning and navigation techniques, and provides many opportunities to get practical experience.
Who wants a FREE Manta Diver’s T-shirt? We are looking for guest bloggers to share their dive stories. How did you feel on your first open water dive? What is your favorite Great Lakes wreck dive? What is your favorite marine animal and why? Your blog must be your own work, and preferably accompanied by a few photos. If we post your entry, you will receive a FREE Manta Divers T-shirt.
Just had a great night dive on Cayman Brac. Night diving is always such a wonderful experience.
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