Monday 3 August 2015

Night diving safety: 10 Tips



Learn more about Night Diving on Wikipedia     

Night diving is special because a familiar site looks different during the night. Whenever you create a day dive, you normally scan the whole dive site taking a look at your surroundings. During the night, the thing is just the part of the dive site which is lit from your light. This forces you to definitely decelerate while focusing on that a person area.

Tip #1

Stay close and shallow. Night dives are usually shallow, so you’ll have ample bottom time for you to go slow and bring it all in. Colours, for instance, tend to be more vivid on the night dive compared to what they are throughout the day. It’s simple dive physics. If you’re creating a daytime dive in 66 feet water, sunlight gets absorbed, stealing away the colours. On the night dive, your source of light is rarely a lot more than five or 10 feet away, therefore the water doesn’t eliminate some of the light spectrum.

Tip #2

Redefine “night.” Once the sun is lower in the sky, hardly any light penetrates the top, which makes it pretty dark underwater, even should there be still a reasonable quantity of light above. Diving at dusk is a great way to start your night-diving career. You will find the ease of gearing up after it is relatively light, but obtain the full effect of creating an evening dive. On ocean dusk dives, there is also the additional advantage of watching the reef creatures migrate by way of a type of “shift change” because the day animals disappear as well as the night animals emerge to experience.

Tip #3

Obtain the right gear. You’ll require a primary dive light along with a backup light. The main light ought to be the larger and brighter of these two. How big and just how bright? That’s your decision, as well as your choice can vary based on the clarity from the water. When looking for a mild, check out several as some have different grips and handles to match your personal preferences. Your backup - or pocket - light ought to be sufficiently small to stow easily, yet bright enough to assist you find your path home. Most lights designed for this specific purpose are smaller and typically shaped a lot more like a conventional flashlight. Remember, though, that when the main light fails and you also change to your backup, it’s time for you to end the dive. Read 13 New Dive Lights to find out the very best new torches on dive store shelves now.

Tip #4

Tie one on. Most dive lights include a method to attach a lanyard or wrist strap. Acquire one. It’s cheap insurance against dropping and losing your main supply of illumination. Most dive lighting is negatively buoyant; in the event you drop one out of deep water it might be gone forever.


Tip #5


Understand the signals. If there’s one part of night diving which is more complex than day diving, it's communication. Both you and your buddy should review hand signals before entering water and agree with those you'll use. You might have two options: The first is to shine the lighting on your own hands so that your buddy can easily see what you’re saying. Another would be to make signals utilizing your light. You are able to signal “OK” and “Yes” or “No” by moving your light inside a circle, or down and up, or sideways. You may also get the buddy’s attention by circling or “lassoing” his light beam and after that pulling it toward you. If you’ve practiced this beforehand, your buddy knows what you’re doing.

In the event you become separated from the buddy, get vertical and shine your light outward while turning a complete circle. Your buddy must do exactly the same and odds are you’ll spot one another. In the event you surface far away from the dive boat, point your light in the boat before you obtain the crew’s attention, then shine it upon your mind therefore the crew can easily see you clearly.

Tip #6
Aim carefully. On any night dive, you need to treat your light just like a loaded gun. Never shine your light straight into another diver’s eyes - you are able to ruin his night vision.



Tip #7

Go easy around the light. First-time night divers often purchase the biggest, brightest beam they could find and cling into it just like a security blanket. While you gain experience diving during the night and obtain comfortable, you’ll find smaller primary dive lights do equally well, especially in clear water. On some night dives, lights of other divers, the boat as well as the moon can offer a great deal ambient light that you might leave your torch off for a lot of the dive.

Should you require a light, you might not need its full power. Some LEDs possess a half-power setting will dial back the brightness. Or try dimming your light by cupping your fingers over it. Whatever the case, you’ll see natural behaviours if you are using the advantage from the pool of light, not the spot, to choose out fish and critters.

Among the unique aspects of night diving within the ocean is bioluminescence. Some types of single-celled plankton produce light if they are disturbed underwater. Your fin kicks or perhaps a wave of the hand can make an explosion of undersea sparks, but you’ll miss the show in anything but dark conditions.

Tip #8

Do reconnaissance. Prior to making the first night dive on the site, you need to dive it throughout the day. This enables you to discover the layout from the site and obtain at ease with it.

Tip #9

Mark the way in which home. If you’re diving from shore, instead of from the boat, you must also place lights around the beach. It's a smart idea to have two lights close together at the entry/exit point and after that another farther away. This provides you something to swim for following the dive when you're swimming way back in.

Creating a night dive from the boat brings by using it another group of concerns. The boat ought to be marked having a flashing strobe will find your path back. When surfacing close to the boat, shine your light toward the top and see carefully to prevent colliding using the hull.

Tip #10

Have some fun! Most significant, relax and relish the dive. It’s natural to become a little anxious before stepping at night void of the unlit ocean or lake, but it’s also exciting. Whenever you overcome your anxieties about night diving, you receive another eight hours of every precious dive day to discover and make new and lasting dive memories.

What goes on when you get separated from the buddy or even the boat after finishing an evening dive? There’s a good reason why we recommend carrying a minimum of two safety signalling devices if you are diving during the night. View Best Surface Signalling Devices for the top picks.


Know more about all the best scuba diving at the Similan Islands