Everyone enjoys sitting around a camp fire roasting marshmallows right? Well how about floating around an underwater 'fire' after the sun sets, surrounded by marine creatures of the night? Bonfire diving is a chance to glide with the aliens that swim among us - it's like diving in an extraterrestrial world where bizarre creatures are spotted dancing in the light of the 'fire'.
If you have no idea what bonfire diving is or the reasons to go on a bonfire dive, then read on...
What is bonfire diving?
Bonfire diving is a form of night diving in shallower waters (unlike blackwater diving). A solid light is placed on the seabed to attract strange nocturnal creatures. Divers then position themselves around the light source and wait patiently as it attracts marine life. So, you can see why it's called bonfire diving; the tiny animals are attracted to the lights like moths to a flame, as if they were surrounding a bonfire.
When can you bonfire dive?
Usually, the dives happen a few hours after twilight when millions of tiny organisms emerge from the depths of the sea to get to shallower waters in search of food and to avoid predators. The best time to go on a bonfire dive is on a new moon night, as a full moon creates light that attracts the tiny marvels to other areas of water and away from you. Bonfire diving differs from other forms of night diving because it focuses on viewing small, often microscopic, pelagic creatures rarely seen during the day. It's a popular activity among underwater photographers and macro enthusiasts due to the variety of marine life that it attracts.
What can you see while bonfire diving?
As we just mentioned, bonfire diving is all about the small creatures of the night. Phytoplankton, essential to the marine ecosystem, flock to the bonfire's glow, drawing in juvenile fish, delicate shrimps and bioluminescent jellyfish. This light show creates a feeding frenzy, offering divers a rare glimpse into the early stages of marine life. You might spot tiny octopuses, elusive Bobbit worms or even a graceful Spanish dancer. Larger predators like jacks, squid and small sharks might join the scene, lured by the abundance of prey. Even better, if you're patient and relatively still, you'll witness animals going about their animal things such as hunting, feeding, mating and hatching, all enjoyed by the glow of the 'fire'.
Do you need any extra training for bonfire diving?
Bonfire diving is accessible to most certified divers, as these dives occur in shallower waters. However, some experience in night diving could improve your experience, making you feel comfortable diving in limited visibility. Another good skill to have is buoyancy control. As you'll want to hover near the light source to see all the marine marvels, having reasonable buoyancy control will help prolong your dive time and keep you steady, so the creatures can come up from the depths. Understanding how to manage dive lights, navigate in the dark and stay close to your dive buddy are crucial skills for a safe experience, but don't worry; the dive centre will go over everything in the dive brief to ensure you're comfortable.
Where are the best places in the world for bonfire diving?
You can enjoy bonfire diving almost anywhere (as long as the dive centre has a light set-up). However, there are of course some stand-out locations. Anilao in the Philippines is famous for its diversity of nudibranchs alongside the hairy frogfish, blue ringed octopus and mantis shrimp. Meanwhile, Lembeh Strait in Indonesia is renowned for being the muck diving capital of the world, featuring an abundance of rare critters such as Bobbit worms, pygmy seahorses, bubble-coral shrimp, decorator crabs and ornate ghost pipefish. If you want to watch manta rays dance at night, head to the Maldives, as the plankton attracted to the bonfire in turn attracts manta rays, so if you're lucky, you'll witness them rolling and sweeping over the lights.
