5 Night Diving Tips for Beginners

There is something that seems counter-intuitive about night time diving. After all, diving by its very nature takes human beings out of our element as we seek to explore an alien environment. Descending into the inky darkness guided mainly by torches makes this already strange experience surreal and just a bit dangerous. Or is it that dangerous? Granted certain precautions must be taken when diving at night but newcomers to this activity should know that those dangers are manageable and that the experience is well worth the challenge. If you are new to diving, check out our night diving tips to ensure you get the most out of your night dive.

• Train for night diving: As we’ve already indicated, diving at night is different experience than diving in the daytime. Don’t assume because you have experience with the latter that you will do well with the former. Our instructors can help you prepare for this new experience so that you get the most out of it and so that you remain safe.
• Dive with an experienced diver: As an addendum to the first point, dive with an experienced diver if this is your first night dive. You should do this even if you are experienced with day time diving.
• Bring a back-up light: In addition to their main light source (a torch), divers should consider bringing a back-up light with them. This light can be a light stick or even smaller torch. In either case, it is important to have a secondary light just in case your primary light fails. If this is should happen, you should stay calm and use your secondary light to guide you. Our certified PADI instructor in Maui will also do everything he can to make sure that your dive is a safe one under all conditions.
• Stay in sight of your dive buddy: Even under normal diving conditions it is always a good idea to stay within sight of a dive buddy. However, make sure that the distance is just right. Diving too close to one another could lead to a collision. One the other hand, being too far apart defeats the purpose of having a buddy in the first place.
• Don’t shine your dive light in your buddy’s face: Light can guide people but it can also blind them under certain circumstances. If you are diving with a buddy or with anyone else be careful not to shine your light directly into their eyes. This could lead to that person becoming disoriented in an already strange environment.

In short, night diving puts diving in a whole new light (pun intended). Just be sure that you adequately prepare for this unusual and challenging environment. We can help you prepare for night dives in Maui by giving you access to our trained dive experts.