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A night dive is a dive that takes place during the hours of darkness. The main difference between this and regular diving is that - well - it’s dark! Therefore, torchesare necessary equipment in order to see. It’s not uncommon to feel nervous about night diving, either because of a general fear of the dark or plunging into the unknown. Whatever your reservations, we promise you - the benefits are 100% worth going for it! Let’s have a look at why we rate night diving so much…
A vast amount of marine animals are nocturnal, so during the day, you might spot a crab or a lobster hiding under a rock, but annoyingly, they’re not doing much. When night falls, these animals come alive and you’ll see a whole new side to them! Crabs and lobsters come out of their hidey holes, scuttling around and many fish use the night time to hunt, meaning they can often be seen putting on quite a performance. Many animals, like squid, are attracted to light and in addition, fish are smart, and have learnt to use divers’ flashlights to aid their hunting! Point your diving torch, wait and you could experience your very own David Attenborough moment.
With a narrower field of vision, night diving can provide a great opportunity to really focus in on what you’re looking at underwater. It’s also a good time to be a selfish diver! If you’ve seen something cool, we advise you to just enjoy the moment for yourself. If you call over your other dive buddies, by the time you’ve got their attention and they've made it over to your torch light, the chances are whatever you’ve spotted will have scurried back into a hole or into the sand to hide again. Night dives can really bring some once-in-a-lifetime sightings, so get a good look yourself and tell everyone else about it later! You might not be popular in the pub, but the memory will be all yours.
The prospect of plunging into dark water with a torch can be frightening, but there is no better feeling than overcoming a fear and achieving a goal. Doing things that scare you is really an amazing way to feel alive! With a trusted and respected instructor, you should be made to feel at ease, as they brief you on all of the safety precautions that make night diving safe and fun. A buddy team should always have at least one back up light, torches should be fully charged, hand signals briefed thoroughly and safety procedures made clear for all. If there is anything you want to know about it pre-dive, don’t be shy to ask your guide or instructor and tell them any reservations you may have - we promise you won’t be the only one!
Everyone loves watching a sunset, and what better place to experience one than from the water’s edge? Generally, you don’t enter the water in the pitch black on a night dive - you’ll go down as the sun sets and then it will get gradually darker, easing you into adjusting to the night. Descend into a different world to daytime diving - you’ll notice that as the light fades, the water comes alive with activity. The luminous eyes of crabs and shrimps will appear, usually-stationary creatures like hermit crabs will be scuttling around and you may even be lucky enough to experience bioluminescent plankton flashing iridescent colours. Most cephalopods are nocturnal, so you may even see these mesmerising creatures appear as the sun goes down.
Communicating under the water when night diving is quite different to diving during the day. For one thing, you hold your torch in one hand, meaning that you now only have one hand to make signals. Your guide will brief you on how to make one handed signals, and make sure you ask about any that you’re unsure on. Communicating under water on a night dive is also much more minimal. To enjoy the experience, the last thing you (and the animals) want is someone constantly flashing and talking to you, so communicating is saved for the essentials. This allows you to focus on what you’re looking at and enjoy the ethereal sensation of being underwater in the dark.
Fancy giving it a go? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our experienced team of divers at Aquanauts to find out more, including details on how you can try it for yourself.
