Any tips on night time diving with torch

[paddyc23]

Basically night time spearfishing without the spear, has anyone else been before, any tips¿¿

[Spaniard]

Without a spear? Do you mean using a knife for flatties? Old man dave is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to spearing at night. Remember it is illegal in Spain though.

[atomichaggis]

Make peace with death beforehand

[abusingelves]

night diving is slightly different. i've been on a good few on scuba, and i wouldn't get in the water at night unless i was comfortable that i had at least two lights onshore. light sticks on my gear, a torch and a back up torch and that i could use my compass if all my lights failed, and in the event of poor visibility.

like atomichaggis said, its much more dangerous.

[covert]

at night sharkies go much much

[Marwan]

paddy are you looking for tips on night spearfishing or regular night diving? for regular night diving on scuba, its all about the location, must be shallow, no curents and like my man covert said, no sharkies, they tend to be a bit more active at night...
if you are talking about night spearfishing, i really dont have much experience, i tried it once, it was a lot of hassle, loading the gun while having a torch in hand, the good thing is, you end up looking like one of those SWAT team guys you see on tv..
best of luck mate

[Fondueset]

We do night freedives from time to time. Light on the float - two divers minimum- each with a light. Best when the water is quite clear. The best night dives here are in the winter - when the water is clear and there are no boats - though we've had fun in the summer too.

[immerlustig]

i'm often night-freediving, sometimes by myself. conditions are usually good, no currents, good vis, etc. i never take a torch which is half the fun. ideally there is a full moon out or close to it, makes for fantastic light underwater.

in unknown waters i'd be careful with possible lines underwater, obstructions, etc. especially when diving without a torch.

cheers

[Marwan]

of course its not the same when you dive the canyon at night under a full moon its practically light down there
cheers

[getawayFK]

I know a close friend of mine who once did spearfishing under the flame on an oilrig (some 70km off shore). He told me that he was surrounded by a school of giant barracudas and it really got scary at the end when those barracudas wouldnt leave him alone and he was the only one of the boat crew who dared to get into water. He noticed that fish were less warry and cautious than during daylight...

[samdive]

my tip would be - don't take a torch - just go when there's a good moon.

S

[olliric]

It's real fun and very different from daytime. Most fish are in a sleep state and hidden somewhere. There is a lot less activity and very few fish are swimming about. Some species like lobster, crab, heel and octopus are more active at night and venture out of their daytime retreats and can be easily picked. Occasionally you can find some fish that is sitting in the open as if it did not find shelter before the night fell. It's still unclear to me if the fish just sits there for the whole night or actually moves about, feeds and only stops when the powerful light beam hit it. After having caught some of the same sleeping fish on the hook I think that they do feed and swim about but at a much slower pace.
If you want to spear fish you should pick a night with good viz, stay shallow and within the maximum range of your dive light (I use a Technisub Vega 2 with a 10w bulb and fish 3 to 10 m deep). You need a short and not very powerful gun. You always shoot the fish execution style. The fish usually can be approached at very close range. In some cases if you have somebody holding the light you can actually grab them with your hands.
Swim on the surface and swing the light around to spot some target. Even better is to dive and swim just above the sea floor and sweep the light beam in every hole looking for some sleeping fish. You can find holes with lots of them just sitting still.
Ideally you want to dive with another person that can assist you taking the fish off the spear, load the gun ect. (because of the light if you are by yourself it's like having only one hand). It is also handy to tug a little boat/inflatable to drop the catch on, especially if you are hunting in shark territory. Be aware that because of the light beam refraction it is difficult to aim accurately at the target. I have missed fish just inches away from the spear tip!
Beware, in some countries especially in the med is forbidden to spearfish at night.
The atmosphere at night is unique and very intriguing. Because of the darkness everything appears muffled and calmer than in the day. Apart from the odd darting bait fish the marine life sleeps.
Because of the very narrow visibility of the light beam, you may have a 6 m shark 1/2 m away and not see it. That adds to the "mystique" of night diving and spook some people off.
Despite having dove at night in the tropics I never encountered sharks. In general you can get plenty of fish rather easily and I did catch a record size spiny lobster and crab
Cheers
Giovanni

[paddyc23]

Cheers olliric, handy bit of info

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by atomichaggis

Make peace with death beforehand

Night diving seems to be a real craze this year. Lots of good idea above. Haven't tried it myself yet but some additional things mentioned by others in earlier discussions:
- go somewhere familiar & shallow (at least to start with) -- so you can stand up in it
- take a float
- mind the critters don't start eating you! [see Dorset 2007 thread]

I was thinking hand torch (Omer Moonlight) and mask torch (UK min Q40), maybe 2. Light sticks mentioned above & in previous discussion, for snorkels, floats & gear is a great idea. Crab hook with fish spike on opposite end?

Sam's moonlight idea sounds good (although I'd take a torch too) -- especially as full moon coincides with fishy Spring Tides.

[sciencemike]

I have done loads of diving at night mostly scuba hunting but some freediving hunting as well.

-No Current

-2 lights on you Backup and primary, and definately one glowstick attached to your mask strap, and possibly another to your gun/ polespear

-2 lights on shore crossing beams to show egress point through reef/rock

-I prefer RED light for hunting, bugs and fish really cant see it well enableing the snatch or poking.

-Dive in a place you know very well, and your buddy should have experience night diving.

-That feeling that somthing is right behind you breathing down your neck is perfectly normal - and quite possibly true

-If you have very clear water use a head lamp, at least for loading your gun, otherwise hold your torch of to the side at arms length to avoid back scatter.