Roatan Night Dive
Roatan Night Diving
A Roatan Night Dive will give you a memory of a lifetime. Much of the marine life is nocturnal, and Night Dives offer scuba divers an opportunity to observe the reef and the marine life around it when creatures are the most active, the most alive. Scuba Diving is a thrilling experience, and this is especially true during a night dive.
Night Diving is mysterious. There is something about it that awakens the explore within and draws us closer to nature found just below the surface.
Most often, a night dive begins just after sunset, while there is still natural light in the sky. Night falls during the dive, and it is almost unnoticeable because our eye acclimates to the surrounding environment. It isn't long before all we've got to illuminate our path is the light we brought alone.
About Night Dives
Because of an active nocturnal marine life, night dives are exciting and offer several opportunities to spot a wider variety of creatures. What's more, is that some of the most strange creatures (who burrow during the day) come out and feed on the coral reef after dark. Giant crabs, lobsters, and octopus are all far more active at night than they are during the day.
A night dive may change the way you think of marine life.
Ironically, the reef appears more colorful at night than it does during the day; this is primarily because night dives require flashlights, which introduce red light into the scene. During the day, red light coming from the sun is lost because of the density in water molecules.
Bioluminescence
A sure highlight in most night dives is the ability to observe and interact with bioluminescence. There are small plankton type organisms in the water that give off bioluminescence, visible at night when stirred.
The safety briefing for a night dive almost always includes a blackout period—a time for divers to gather around, usually on a sandy bottom, and cover their lights. When the lights are removed from the scene, bioluminescence can be observed by quickly disturbing the surrounding water, usually by the shake of a hand or a fin kick.
Notice, flashlights are covered, not powered off. Powering a light off may result in the light not powering back on. So the recommended technique calls for lights to be covered, usually by pressing them against ones chest, or by covering them with one's hand.
Night Diving Recommendations
There are a few extra precautions and safety measures to consider on a night dive. Here are a few for you to consider:
Dive a known site. Night diving is not the time to explore and get to know a dive site for the first time. Be sure you dive the site during the day and that you are familiar with the terrain ahead of your night dive.
Avoid water current. Tides come and go and change from site to site. Be sure you understand the tides, water currents, and avoid getting swept away in the current. Always start your dive swimming toward the current, and end your dive swimming with the current.Look for easy ingress and exit points.
Avoid dive sites that may be difficult to access after dark. Dive with two dive torches. Be sure you dive with a primary and a backup torch and make sure they both have enough battery life left to last you the entire dive.
Wear a chemical light stick or a power generated marker on your exterior where it is visible to others, in addition to your dive torches.
Avoid wearing brand new equipment on a night dive. Be sure all equipment has been testing in a prior dive. Always dive with a dive buddy. This is true for any dive, but it is especially true during a night dive.
A surface marker buoy (SMB) is mandatory and should be required equipment on all night dives.
Do not point the dive torch at another divers eyes, period.
Night Dive Signals
Night dives require a slight modification to underwater signals. Be sure you are familiar with these subtle changes or adjustments to day time signals.
For example, the "ok" sign from afar calls for a diver to draw a circular motion using his dive torch. At the surface, that same sign calls for an up and down motion. When up close, the "ok" sign can be given with one hand as you would during the day, but also requires that the signal be given under the spotlight of the scuba torch.