Remember the sense of joy and excitement mixed with nervousness when you first started diving?
Over time, that feeling fades away, and it’s hard to recapture. That is, until you try night diving.
The PADI Night Diver Specialty course opens up a whole new world filled with new experiences, opportunities and benefits. Interested? Keep reading to find out why Night Diver should be your next specialty course.
1. See the Reef Under a New Light
Come sunset, the usual creatures you’d expect to see during the day are hiding or sleeping. Many fish become almost motionless and seem to be in a trance-like state.
Cool Fact: Some fish wrap themselves in a membrane to cover their scent and protect them from predators.
2. Discover Different Marine Life
During a night dive, daytime fish are replaced by nocturnal animals that are out swimming and hunting, so you can observe animal behavior hidden during the daytime. You might spot an octopus strolling by, a moray eel slithering through the reef, manta rays dancing in the moonlight, shrimps scavenging the seabed of — a highlight for many — bioluminescence, a natural phenomenon when the water sparkles and glows in the dark.
While diving at night, divers witness spectacles of nature that very few people get to see.
3. Learn To Communicate
Because night diving takes place in the dark, you have to rethink everything you’ve learned during the PADI Open Water Diver course, starting from the basics. During the Night Diver Specialty course, you will learn how to use a dive light to find your way underwater, check your air and communicate with your dive guide and buddies.
If you’re scared you won’t be able to see what’s going on around you, you needn’t worry. Dive torches provide powerful illumination to light your way.
4. Master Your Buoyancy
As a diver, you have to be aware of your surroundings. Knowing where the marine life is and orienting yourself can be challenging – even more so at night. The Night Diver course helps to fine-tune your buoyancy, so you can focus on the dive and not on whether you’re kicking up silt.
Pro Tip: Ideally, go night diving at sites you’ve already explored during the daytime to make navigation easier.
5. Enjoy the Moment
At night, everything feels calmer and quieter. Move slowly, take it all in, and you’ll enjoy an unparalleled feeling of serenity. The magic of night diving quickly replaces any fear or misconceptions you hold.
6. Visit Less Crowded Dive Sites
The ocean is vast, but when more than one dive group is in the same spot, it can feel overcrowded. This is particularly true for some of the best dive sites in the world.
That’s rarely going to happen on a night dive when it’s you, your buddy and the creatures of the night.
7. Become a Better Diver
The challenges of new dive conditions, new gear and new ways to communicate are key ingredients to making you a better diver.
Admittedly, it takes one or two night dives to get used to diving in the dark, but learning to scuba dive at night will build your confidence and expand your diving knowledge and safety skills, allowing you to enjoy your underwater adventures even more — during the day or at night.
What Are You Waiting For?
Night diving is one of the best ways to explore the ocean, so don’t think twice. Make the PADI Night Diver Specialty course your next specialty course.
