Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
Which local rescue or training agency should I check first?
Use the local lens: coastguard/federation norms and the shop briefing for that bay — not a blog visibility claim.
Why is risk scored near wreck diving?
Lost buddy, boat props, and disorientation show up in incident literature. Combining night with wreck or cave is worse.
What is the Kona manta night dive?
A well-known Hawaii product: lights on the sand attract plankton, then mantas. Distance rules are the etiquette.
How many lights?
A primary and a backup is the usual teaching. A tank-marker or stick light helps the boat.
Do people need a specialty card?
Not legally in most places. Shops may require one or a minimum log count.
Is a full moon easier?
More ambient light, different animal behaviour. Not a safety system by itself.
The method is a dusk briefing, a working primary and backup light, and a buddy close enough to see a hand signal in the beam. Navigation is simpler: out and back on a known heading, or a descent line.
If the site is unfamiliar by day, it is the wrong night site.
Steps
- Dive the site by day first
Night is a lighting change, not a new map.
A house reef beats a famous name.
- Check both lights on the boat
Plus a tank glow stick if the operator uses them.
A dead backup is a cancelled dive.
- Descend on a line or a known slope
No mid-water “we’ll find it.”
Hold the buddy’s light in peripheral vision.
- Move slowly, beam down and in
Do not spotlight eyes or other divers’ vision.
A thin beam for looking, a flood for the buddy.
- Turn with more gas than by day
Exits take longer in the dark.
The first confused person ends the dive.
- Surface with an SMB if the boat expects it
Night boat traffic is a prop problem.
Stay in the agreed light pattern.
Skills
- Beam discipline — Where the light rests is where the buddy looks.
- Close buddy — An arm’s length culture, not a 10 m day habit.
- Night buoyancy — Without a horizon, the computer and lungs do more work.
- Simple navigation — Out-and-back, not a new square.
- Animal distance — Night creatures are not props.
Progression
- Dusk dive — A halfway step.
- House-reef night — The proper first night.
- Famous night products (Kona, certain Red Sea reefs) — After the house reef is boring.
- Never first-time wreck at night — Combine chapters only on paper.
Common mistakes
- First dive of the trip at night — Jet lag plus dark is a known bad mix.
- Following a lionfish into a hole — A classic glove-and-spine story.
- Strobe in a turtle’s face — Etiquette and, increasingly, a fine.
- Surfacing off the line without a light up — How boats and people meet badly.
The method is a known reef and two working lights. Darkness is not a personality upgrade.