Types of Diving; night diving...
To many people, the thought of submersing yourself underwater at night conjures up feelings of dread, horror and images such as those you might have seen in the movies 'Jaws' or 'Open Water'. However the reality is very different.
Night diving often involves kitting up just as the sun is going down, so you still have some light to help you kit up. Just as dusk hits you descend into the dark ocean, which is incredibly exciting and adrenalin-filled in itself, to experience a completely different world from the one you would see in the day.
Once in the darkness and shining your torch at the reef, you immediately see the appeal of night diving. Brightly coloured corals stand out in the darkness - pinks, yellows, reds - and the nocturnal creatures move amongst them. These include octopus, crustaceans and many more. You will start to think you are going mad when you see a sponge walking over the reef; in fact it is attached to the carapace of a crab - the sponge crab.
But almost the most extraordinary of all is if you turn your torch off and move your hands and feet around in the water. A thousand sparks of bioluminescent plankton fire up around you, otherworldly and extraordinary.
The best night diving in the world
Here are Original Diving's top picks for best night diving around the world:
- Wakatobi - experience the vibrant colours at night of some of the most pristine reefs in the world.
- Chuuk Lagoon - dive the WWII wrecks at night to experience the amazing colours of the soft corals and swim through corridors over half a century old.
- Northern Sulawesi - both at Lembeh, when even more critters come out at night, and on the reefs in Bunaken Marine Park where the reefs come 'alive' with crustaceans and molluscs.
- Raja Ampat - experience arguably the best night diving in the world!
- Papua New Guinea - the untouched reefs and abundant marine life must be experienced at night, as well as during the day.
Want to try out night diving? Get in touch to find out more.
