Vegas

Hi All!
I just wanted to share the news! I am going on my first night dive tomorrow evening and am VERY excited! I will be with my instructor, my sweetheart, & some of my OW class will be joining as well.

Since before my first class, all the tips you guys have given me have helped me more than I can say....so, of course....I'll keep on asking!

Do you all have any suggestions, advice, words of wisdom, or experiences you would share with me about night diving?

Thanks a Million!

__________________
-The power behind me is greater than the task before me.

MgicTwnger

Night diving can be disorienting, as in "Which way is up?". Just watch which way the bubbles go.
If you're on a boat, set your gear up before you leave the dock while you can see what you're doing.
It's nice to have a glo stick or it's electronic equivalent on you. That's a little marker light so others can easily locate you.
Don't shine your light in another guy's face and blind him.
My pet peeve is the guy with the $20K video outfit who has more bright lights than Cecil B. DeMille. Break that stuff over his head before the dive, or you'll want to do it afterwards. Just a thought.

__________________
I am not the one who needs mental help. I just need to vent.

jafo

Stay calm, be in the right mind set, plan your dive and dive your plan, stick with your buddy, remember your training and you'll be just fine.

Karina

So how did it go???

Vegas

Thanks for asking! -- It was amazing!
The wind died just as we got to the lake. It was a beautiful night, but very dark...no moon to be seen. I'm sure we were a spooky sight with our flash-lights, glowing float, and light-sticks as we entered the lake!

Our entry was at the same rocky shore as my O/W cert, but vis was better - about 12'-15'.
I expected to get a little freaked out but it didn't happen at all.

It was definately the time to apply all that I'd learned to date though, ...with the lights, buoyancy, compass, etc...once or twice It seemed like I needed a third hand to keep everything straight! After running through skills with our instructor and demonstrating that I could navigate out from, and back to, an underwater platform with my compass, we were off to explore!

Oh my! the same landscape I had seen a few times before took on a whole new dimension. It was the same lake bottom, but different... and for me, the best part was the Fish! In the daytime, in that part of the lake, there just aren't many to be found...but at night, there they were! The first couple we came across, i got SO excited, I took a couple REALLY deep breaths, and threw my buoyancy all to hell. (oops). At least I only made that mistake once.
We saw several fish, different kinds and sizes, moving slow or not at all, watching us as we watched them, and to me it was the coolest thing ever!

(afterwards, it made me think of all those "Alien Encounters" you heard about on TV during the X-files days...the ones where they'd land at night, shine a bright light on the folks - who, for some unknown reason wouldn't run away - and just sort of LOOK at them...then they'd go back to their space-ship and fly away, leaving the startled humans to wonder what the heck just happened?? LOL!)

Anyway - I absolutely LOVED it!! I Can't wait to go again!

__________________
-The power behind me is greater than the task before me.

Karina

That sounds so awesome. I love the feeling of seeing something new for the first time, whatever it is. Thanks for sharing and allowing me to enjoy it vicariously through you! I haven't been on a night dive yet, but I hope to, eventually. My LDS has monthly fun dives and they occasionally take them to Monterey. When they do, they always do a night dive, if situations permit. That'll be creepy, I think--kelp forests at night!