Scuba Diving At Night - An Otherworldly Experience

Think you know the nightlife in the tropics? Think again- you haven't seen "Night Life" until you have Scuba Dived at night. Night Diving is a specialty certification that comes with Advanced Open Water Certification and it is one that is highly recommended.

The major Dive Organizations define a Night Scuba Dive as any dive that begins after the sun sets below the horizon. This is actually the best time to begin a night dive, as there is still light some light trickling through the crystalline waters as you begin your decent. Then as you resurface you are greeted by dancing moonbeams reflected off of your dive mask. The seas below the surface are a whole new world at night. Even a reef that you have dived on many times in daylight becomes eerily unfamiliar during a night dive. Not only do nocturnal creatures only seen at night make their apperance, but also the ocean abounds with bioluminescent creatures, planktons and other microorganisms, that put on their own unique aquatic light show. A favorite of night divers is to hover very still for a moment, shut off your dive light, and then wave you arms about, and you will see these tiny creatures light up, and dance about your arms.

Night Diving does require some new skills and is a specialty certification that requires pre-certification in Advanced Open Water. PADI offers Night Diver certification as part of it's "Adventure Pack" were it can be coupled with two other specialties like Cavern and Wreck Diver. Of course the most unique aspect of night diving is the darkness, and getting comfortable with the use of Dive Lights. Also it is recommended that in addition to the dive light the night diver carry additional lighting such as glo-sticks to mark the accent line. Remember too that in a night dive when you resurface it is likely to be colder then you are used to during the day, so pack an extra tool, blanket, or sweatshirt in your dry bag. Also keep in mind that park rules, beach rules and local fishing rules can all be different at night then they are during the day, and it is best to be aware of these before hitting the water at night - you do not want to resurface to find your vehicle towed or locked in.

One of the most interesting night dives is a dive with the Manta Rays off of Kona in Hawaii. These giant gentle bat like creature feed at night, and the Kona Manta dive gives the scuba diver a unique opportunity to see and swim among these legendary creatures. In addition the area of the manta night dive is a happening "night spot" for many other of the local inhabitants. Creatures that hide deep within the holes and crevices of the reef spring to life to feed at night, it is not unusual to see an eel swim out right in front of you and grab a fish during a night dive. The Kona Hona night dive has been consistently rated by top dive magazines and even the New York Times as one of the top 10 Dive Sites in the world.