Category: Diving

Night Diving, Anyone?

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These night time dives into the coral world teach us a great deal by showing us a new aspect of what we see during the day.  For marine life exhibits, in those magic hours of darkness, the fullness of its wealth.   ~Jacques Yves Costeau~

Corals spawning during dusk

As a novice, I thought diving at night was too dangerous and uncanny, and doing it will require much courage in its truest sense.  My turn for such experience was two years later after I got certified for the OWD course.  Although it was an optional dive for the AOWD, I chose to undergo it with the recommendation of my mentor.  I trusted his judgment that I can do it, confident that he will be with me for the dive.  I made it without him though, he entrusted me to equally able divers who have become my friends too.  It was a completely different experience, I promised myself to do it again!

The darkness can be a limitation but there is nothing to be scared about it, in fact night diving is more relaxing than diving during the day.  It is because, extra care and proper preparation is necessary – familiar site, comfortable gear, favorite dive buddy, shallow areas and definitely no diving in difficult conditions.  Diving at night is slow and steady, thus this pace makes it very relaxing for many divers.

Sleepy green eyes….

My few night dives has been pleasant, my dive buddy and I see to it that we are pretty conditioned for the extra activity during the night after our day dives.  My three night dives after my lessons with my mentor, were all with my favorite dive buddy.

  • Agutayan Island, Misamis Oriental   22 June 2009

Just a month after my AOWD lessons, planning for three dives I requested my mentor for a night dive, though informing him that my dive buddy is not certified for such.  He had no qualms about it, I remembered my dive buddy was worried for me more than for himself.  It was wonderful, variety of night critters showed up and I was amazed of the night organisms that glow in the dark.

  • St. Peter’s House Reef, Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte     20 March 2010

My dive buddy and I decided to have a night dive when we went to Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte.  It was a different experience as we were in a different site totally new to us. But I did stupid mistakes before we could descend, it was a shore entry.   Like losing my mask twice while struggling with my tank, my buddy have to search it for me.  We were in the waters when I had difficulty controlling my buoyancy, we went back to the shore for more weights.  But once down, we were treated with the variety of marine life in the area, we stayed 58 minutes in the waters – that’s almost an hour!

Crab lurking in its chamber
  • Talisayan Shoal, Misamis Oriental     23 July 2011

This night dive was a filler after we missed the morning dive schedule of the resort, it was just our second dive for the day so we still have enough energy and we look forward to it.  The site was totally new to us but I think we were confident enough for it, and I guess too excited to discover new sightings.  My dive buddy and I were left alone as we explore on our own in the darkness, we were down for over an hour!  The night critters abound in the area and the bioluminescence struck me once more….

  • Apo Island – Southwest, Mindoro     25 February 2011

My dive buddy said it was not a night dive technically, but we descend at 5:48pm and had our torches on until we ascend at 6:34pm.  Our aim was to maximize our time while at Apo Reefs, thus do three dives despite the limited time.  The refilling of tanks took much time thus the additional time requirements.  Watching the pinkish horizons as we descend was so calming and the display of pelagic, plus the friendly turtle was a real treat in our last dive.

The feather star looks different at night!

Indeed, diving at night is completely a different experience – wonderful experience I must say.  When dark falls, diverse species come out – those that can not be seen during the day dominate the reef like crabs, shrimps or lobster and even octopi, barracuda and shark.  The coral reef at night is a strange place.  And there’s one moment I wanted to witness again – the spawning of corals as it release thousands of bundles of eggs and sperm – it look so alive. An undeniable truth that corals are animals and not rocks as mostly perceived it to be. I think I need to have one night dive before the year ends!

NB.  Photos courtesy of Angel using Olympus Tough 8000 with PT 045 casing.

Life Lessons from Scuba Diving

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Blue World

While we all embrace the rules of our dual life underwater I believe few of us think that these rules may also apply as life lessons above water. I found myself often looking to my time underwater and using my experiences and the things I have learned in day to day life.

Scuba life lessons

  1. Remain confident and calm in times of difficulty; don’t stress yourself,  just relax
  2. Never forget to look around and enjoy the scenery
  3. Don’t take the little things for granted, they are often the most enjoyable things in life
  4. The burdens we have shouldn’t be viewed as inconveniences but instead view them as support and an experience to keep us moving forward
  5. In times of difficulty look around, your buddy will be there for you
  6. While looking to a friend don’t forget to be self sufficient; your buddy may need you someday
  7. Face your fears with a giant stride into the unknown
  8. Try not to kick up too much dirt, it may create problems for you in the future and it will be hard to view the finer things in life
  9. If you are ever in doubt always look back and remember the basics you have learned
  10. Never forget, just keep breathing

NB.  An inspiring article adapted from BookyourDive.com, as we grow older we tend to look for the valuable lessons as  we  go the journey.  Straightforward and practical, this is perfect not only for divers but for everyone who believes that we are in a big classroom called LIFE.

Book Review: The Art of Diving

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The Art of Diving: Adventure in the Underwater World

I have continued my search for my bookshelf additions relative to diving, and last January I found this one blue book in NBS which I was instantly allured. Like finding a treasure, I can’t put it down and headed for the counter and the good thing was it was on a reduced price!

The Art of Diving by Nick Hanna & Alexander Mustard is now one my priced-possession.  I remembered the night  when I bought it, as soon as I got in my hotel room, I keep flipping the pages I was mesmerized I don’t want to put it down.  And without hesitation, I shared the news to my favorite dive buddy.

The author has captured exactly the phenomenon and innermost sensation of every diver, the passionate desires and spirituality that accompany the beauty and wonder of the water world.  The book have remarkably captured the soul of scuba diving and described vividly the experience of humans in the underwater realm.  The lucid photos captured the colorful marine world displaying unimaginable grandeur depicting underwater imagery at its best.

The book had been filled with words and wisdom from the pioneers of diving like Sir Jacques Yves Costeau, Trevor Norton, William Beebee, Jules Verne, Sylvia Earle and more. It is likewise filled with underwater stills in my dream sites like Caribbean, Red Sea, Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand & Egypt.

Colorful, vibrant, large than life, this book insightfully reveals the secrets of our love affair with the water world.