Scuba diving at night can be a lot of fun, but can be a major fear for some divers. However, once they try it, many divers are hooked on night diving and find out that diving at night can yield a totally different experience compared to diving during the day. Scuba.com provides several night scuba diving tips to ensure a fun, safe, and rewarding dive.
One of the most important things to remember when night diving is having proper lighting. A lot of divers think that the brightest most powerful light is best, however, you don’t want to scare off nocturnal creatures. Having the right light is important, and also can be used for underwater communication with your dive partners.
Choosing a familiar dive site is also important when you are going out on your first night dive. Not only is there a “night and day” difference between the dive sites, familiarity with the terrain and location of the dive site will be beneficial during your first night dive.
Another evening scuba diving tip to remember is to take your time. Diving at night will yield so many new vibrant colors and creature sit you are patient. A lot of times, if the light isn’t too bright, marine life will come investigate the source, which will allow you to see new marine life that you can’t see during the day.
Communication and timing is also extremely important. Agree on the communication style with your partner before you go down, as once you are underwater and the sun is setting, it will be difficult to communicate if everyone is on different pages. The best time to go night scuba diving is at dusk. Diurnal creatures are still out and about and nocturnal creatures are just waking up, so the diversity of marine life will be greater.
Having a successful dive is important but also, don’t forget to be respectful. Many dive sites are located near neighborhoods and sound always carries further on water. So try to be respectful of your surrounds when you are going out for a dive.