IF YOU FEEL THAT SCUBA DIVING IS A THRILLING EXERCISE, TRY NIGHT DIVING.
It is quite an interesting and mysterious experience. Once you descend into the water at night and discover a whole new world, you will definitely want more. The critters that are out during the day begin to prepare to go to bed, and the night-time critters begin their transition to waking up.
And night diving is special because even a familiar site looks different at night. When you make a day dive, you normally scan the entire dive site looking at your surroundings. At night, you see only the area of the dive site that is lit by your light. This forces you to slow down and concentrate on that one area.
What can you see?
Bioluminescence is something you have to experience during a night dive. There are tiny plankton type organisms underwater that give off a bioluminescence at night when set in motion.
At night the coral polyps open to feed, drawing nutrients from the passing currents. The open polyps are colorful. This is mostly a night time event, but it does happen at times during the day if there is a strong current. The colors around the reef may appear more vibrant as well. This is not limited to just the corals but all the marine life around you.
Primarily nocturnal species start to come out! You’re much more likely to see an octopus or squid hunting on a night dive.
Signaling
Know the signals. If there’s one aspect of night diving that is more complicated than day diving, it’s communication. You should review hand signals before entering the water. You have two options: One is to shine the light on your hands so your buddy can see what you’re saying. The other is to make signals using your light. You can signal “OK” and “Yes” or “No” by moving your light in a circle, or up and down, or side to side. You can even get your buddy’s attention by circling or “lassoing” his light beam and then pulling it toward you. If you’ve practiced this beforehand, your buddy will know what you’re doing.
Should you become separated from your buddy, get vertical and shine your light outward while turning a full circle. Your buddy should do the same and chances are you’ll spot each other. If you surface far from the dive boat, point your light at the boat until you get the crew’s attention, then shine it down on your head so the crew can see you clearly.
And be sure not to shine your light at other divers or into the boat crew’s eyes! Aside from being inconsiderate, it will definitely blind them and ruin their night vision. Don’t forget: the captain still has to get you home! If he loses his night vision it’s a much more difficult task. When you reach the surface it’s common protocol to turn off your light or point it downwards.
Want to try? We’ve got lots of night dives going out right now! Book online or give us a call at 305-453-3446.