You will be amazed at the changes that occur underwater as the sun sets.
There is a definite changing of the guard as diurnal species head off to sleep and nocturnal species awaken and start their shift.
Is it scary diving in the dark?
The short answer is No – if you know what you are doing.
Many divers will find night diving very relaxing as the temptation to rush over to the next reef is absent, we can’t see it so we tend to spend more time cruising along the reef and we can take more notice of what is in front of us.
Night diving must be fun – they are all smiling
You can join us for a night dive as part of your PADI Advanced Open Water Dive Course, with a dive guide
or once you are hooked complete the PADI Night Diver Specialty Course.
Let there be light:
Primary & Secondary torches are required
Obviously we do need torches to enjoy our night dive, to explore the reef and communicate with our buddy. Each team should have a minimum of 3 torches, 2 primary torches and 1 secondary torch.
A primary torch tends to be larger and has a wide beam to light up our surrounds to aid navigation and reduce disorientation. This torch may not be as bright as our secondary or back up torch which we often use during the day to check in those holes in the reef. Our secondary torch is often small enough to keep attached to our BCD.
Marine Life – The reason we dive at night!
No one is doing quite what you expect! Our favourite Spotties snuggle up to sleep along sand ripples or in the sand, Blue Mokis put on their pyjamas to nap – their darker mottled colouration breaks up their outline to confuse predators. Nocturnal species come out to forage so expect plenty of action on the reef with cryafish & crabs in abundance, shellfish on the move – look out for yellow foot paua up on the kelp. Squid, octopus and conger eels are hunting for dinner or is that breakfast?
Many nocturnal fishes are red in colour (difficult to see in the dark) and have large eyes, eels are the exception as they rely on smell to hunt down prey.
But possibly best of all – is the bioluminescence! You will love at your buddy as they have theirs arms manically before finding out you are doing it yourself – to watch the small bioluminescent plankton flow off your hands is amazing and can’t be described. It really must be seen to be believed.