Freediveing at night?

[Pekka]

Have any of you dived at night time with lamp?
Is it worth the extra equipment?
Is there anything that should be considered when diveing in dark?
thanks beforehand.
this site has given me loads of useful information and brings diveing people together! Good work Deeper Blue!

 

[Tom Lightfoot]

My university buds and I have been "night snorkelling" for years. It's every bit as worthwhile as night diving on scuba. One of the things I like best is swimming underwater with no lights. With good bioluminescence, all you can see are moving stars when you are moving, and the tracks of fish and other divers when you are not.

Where we night snorkel on Hornby Island in BC, the dogfish (small sharks) tend to hang out just below the thermocline. Half the time I descend in darkness and switch on my light I have a dogfish right in my face. Can be freaky!

The biggest problem with night snorkelling is keeping track of your buddy. It's best to wear a light stick on your mask strap or snorkel. That makes a good compromise between being seen and the joy of swimming in the dark when you want to. Light sticks are also more reliable than flashlights.

I have found that a standard size dive light isn't too cumbersome for freediving and I sometimes use one mid-day for wall diving down to 30m. Additional advantages of a light are that it works as a bumper to prevent you from crashing into things with your hands or head. The light also puts some of your ballast well forward, allowing a more stable descent.

Tom

 

[andrsn]

it's one of the more exhilarating things you can do in life.

i've been spearfishing a few times at night. kinda a death wish where i go. but just freediving is an experience you have to try. borrow someone's lamps just to try it. if you can handle a heavy amount of adrenaline in your veins, go for it!

anderson
_________________________________
if ya gotta measure, don't pull the trigger!

 

[Pekka]

freediveing at night!

Thanks for the opinion, I will try it out, I actually bought myself a light for the purpose. And them light sticks... I gotta look for them too, sounds cool.
I'll be trying out that in Hurghada egypt, starting next wensday
The whole idea of diveing at night came to me in Egypt originally because the day is so short, only 10 or so hours, and I would like to dive longer...
I'll post then how I felt it and if I saw any different fish than diveing at daytime:t

 

[snorklebum]

The bioluminescence thing sounds incredible. I'd love to see that. So moving fish trigger the luminescence. Sounds like acidhead heaven.
I don't have a lantern so the only night diving I've done is at full moon, of Isla Mujeres, and Cabo San Lucas. Both areas where clear air and water lead to maximum light, both areas where you can be sure you are going down into areas you won't bonk into anything. Except fish, I suppose. I like it and want to do more, will probably pick up a light when I'm in the States this month.
The last night dive I did was full-moon, skinny-dipping with a fairly crazy French Canadian girl living on Isla, name Delphine and very similar in many ways. A beautiful night....I just wish I could have arranged for biolum.

 

[snorklebum]

PS
Wouldn't a headlamp be the perfect thing for this. The only lamps I see around are these gigantic suba-oriented flashlights. Does anybody make something like headlights for a mask?

 

[teppo]

headlamp

I have used Petzl headlamp, it is watertight to -70 meters.
See "http://www.petzl.com/FRENG/frheadlamps/headlampframe.html"

I bought it from Finland, from a camping oriented shop.

 

[Erik]

Guys and gals

The last night dive I did was full-moon, skinny-dipping with a fairly crazy French Canadian girl living on Isla, name Delphine and very similar in many ways.

Not TOO similar, I hope!
Salud,
Erik Y.

 

[snorklebum]

Thanks for your concern, Erik. Actually I noticed several differences between Delphine and the actual delphines. Some were what I'd call positive differences:
1. Lack of blowhole on top of head
2. No discernible sharp conical teeth.
3. Inability to emit high-pitched screechings.

But some of the differences were negative:

1. Inability to turn flips out of the water
2. Insistence on speaking French
3. Presence of body hair

Further dictintions will be reported on as events warrant.

 

[Erik]

ick

Actually, I believe marine mammals do have body hair, if not much. Each to their own, amigo
Cheers,
Erik Y.

 

[snorklebum]

I can live with that, as long as they don't speak French.

The big problem I have at night is coming back in to the beach. (The beaches here being pretty rocky, and the surf often a little rough). Out in open water things are fine, and ambient light is enough, but as soon as motion and rocks rear their heads it gets hairy. Any tips on all this? I've gotten some bruises and cuts "swimming by braille" and am always nervous about breaking an elbow or kneecap or some such useful periferal.
What happens to a headlamp beam when you're in whitewater?

 

[Pekka]

Night diveing!

Well I just came from Egypt..pretty hot there and got really sun burned while in water.
I tried some night diveing...although my buddy didn't came with instead stood on the beach shouting that I should come back...she was afraid of the sharks...I didn't see any, well so sad
But it was such a difference! the fish were all calm and there was whole different world! some sea snakes and one huge ball shaped fish, I don't know what it is called. I enjoyed doing it although next time I'll have some one with me so I can go little deeper, but my "sun light4" was quite enough.
Doing it all alone was bit freaky too, just black and nothing when I turned my lap off... Well hope to do it again soon, perhaps in Sharm El Sheikh in December. :t

 

[snorklebum]

Egypt! Never heard of it as a dive site. How is it?
Yes, I like the differences at night. The main thing to me is that the corals put out their little tendrils, so they look like alien gardens instead of stone. I will have to get a headlamp soon and check out more of this stuff.

 

[Pekka]

Dive site Egypt...

Well Egypt<-- Read: Red Sea is one of the best dive sites I have ever been diveing... Well I have no knowledge on diveing in Mexico, so I guess... how would one know.:hmm
Why would you want a head lamp? I think holding a flashlight in my hand when going down or doing what ever was ok, I even had a camera on the same hand for quite a while and even then it was okay...

The red Sea as what I know now is clear water viz about 20m loads of fish, but unfortunately loads of the corrals that I saw were dead But still much better than baltic sea where I dived most of this summer..
The weather there was beatiful as well temp. around 30-40C water never under 25C so good for freediveing. Trips out to sea were must in Hurghada, where I was just a week ago, but the cost is not too great about 16$ day if you have your own equipment and food is included. But the locals don't speak good english so it is kinda hard sometimes to get what you exactly want.
Sharm El Seikh then is just different I spend a week in there and one could just dive for a week of shore, corrals are beatiful and alive, greater variety of fish and other sea creatures! There I am headed this coming winter!

 

[Pekka]

sharks?

should one be afraid of sharks do they get agressive at night? I was warned by some locals at the beach that sharks would attack me if I would go far out there diveing..
any experiences comments?

 

[Erik]

I have never used a headlamp while freediving, but when I was a bubble blower I used one a few times. There are a couple of problems to consider.
One is that if there is any particulate at all in the water, the beam can be very disorienting, and even cause vertigo if you lose your reference point. This happened to me, and I would not use one again.
Second is that if you are diving with a buddy, you will blind him or her every time you look directly at them, above or below the surface.
So, if you dive alone in spactacular vis with no plankton bloom, then they will work great.
I use a small PC light that is attached to my belt on a short lanyard.
Cheers,
Erik Y.

 

[Simon Blampied]

A few of my friends fish at night and make quite a bit of money. I tried it once and to be fair there is very little sport involved. 4 -5 lb Bass sit in the weed/current and don't move until you actually prod them, suffice it to say I took a couple for the family but don't think I'd give it another go you just come out feeling 'flat' if you know what I mean. I'll wait for my 10lber during daylight hours when it takes a bit of skill - will be waiting a while then!!

 

[Pekka]

Sleeping fish

I had simillar experience with fish as I was diveing in the red sea, I almost hit a big ball shaped fish vcause I just didn't look where I was going... it is the grazyest feeling when fish just lie on the bottom and let you come close... but it is fun...I didn't kill any of then but can imagine that it wouldn't require much talent to get one of them..