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Published: April 12th 2024
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I did not summit the courage to do a night dive until I had already completed about 50 day dives, over a period of two years, at a number of dive locations and under varying current conditions. The fear factor of the unknown is indeed significant. But after eight night dives I am now fully embracing the opportunity to dive at night, and can strongly testify that night diving is not simply diving in the dark - it is in fact a completely different experience than diving in daylight. I can also understand now how many seasoned divers actually prefer it over day diving, particularly, it seems, as one acquires more and more dives. Many of the dive masters and instructors I have met prefer night diving.
It is comparable to going on a safari, where animals are far more active at night. In a marine environment, this may be an understatement, as the marine activity is also completely different at night. You simply do not see the same creatures, or even the same species of coral, especially if you are fortunate enough to be diving on wall dives such as can be found in Bunaken Marine Park, Sulawesi. Borrowing
Brilliant Living Coral Garden
Photos simply cannot convey the overwhelming experience of being surrounded by this beautiful coral. from a previous blog, I will share again that Bunaken Marine Park is located off the northernmost tip of the province of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The park, formally established in 1991, comprises the 5 islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen, Montehage, and Nain. The marine park is located near the centre of the Coral Triangle, providing habitat to 390 species of coral, displayed on spectacular wall reefs, as well as many fish, mollusc, reptile and marine mammal species. It is part of the Indo-Pacific region which supports the highest marine biodiversity on earth.
Diving Bunaken Park wall dives is akin to diving amidst a tapestry of jewels and nature’s coral artistry at its best. Although I have included several photos taken on my recent night dive, photos simply cannot convey the overwhelming experience of being engaged with a wall of vibrant, living colour - brilliant yellows, purples, reds, blues, and greens, and all shades in between. Furthermore, the very concept of living colour is redefined, when the colours actually respond to nearby movement. These coral are stunning in the daytime light, but it seems that at night time, under the beam of a flashlight, the coral becomes that much more
Beautiful Lobster
In the daytime, the most you might see of this critter would likely be his long antennae poking out from the rock crevice he is hiding behind. Note the jewels he is walking upon. See what I mean? alive, more brilliant, more vibrant.
And, to return to a concept mentioned earlier, hunting activity is indeed more prevalent at night. On another night dive in Amed, Bali, a week earlier, I witnessed an opportunist lion fish taking advantage of the moment to instantly devour the unfortunate and completely oblivious nearby fish that was displayed in the beam of my flashlight. That was my first experience of actually witnessing a hunt, even though I will soon have completed ninety dives - eighty one of them day dives.
I also experienced a bit of ocean bio luminosity during that night dive, when we momentarily shut off our flashlights after creating some water movement around us. This was magical, but did not last more than a few seconds, as the degree of bio-luminescence varies at different times of the year, and at this time it was not strong enough to stifle the need to quickly reconnect with that beam of light - before I could dwell upon just how immersed in darkness, submerged under fifteen metres of water, I really was.
Night diving is far more of a macro diving experience, where the focus is on discovering and appreciating
diversity, often found in much smaller, life forms. It is quite the opposite of seeking the biggest forms of marine life to be found. And although every diver will appreciate seeing a whale shark, a barracuda, a spotted eagle ray, or a giant ocean manta ray - to name just a few - I have noted in conversations with many experienced divers over the past decade that there seems to be a definite transition toward macro diving the more one dives. I too am beginning to appreciate this very different focus - looking for the magic in all the little things that surround us. This applies equally, whether immersed in the deep blue, or anywhere else one finds oneself. I believe it is called nurturing an appreciation for the simple things in life. Some call it wisdom.
Thank you for your continued interest in our travels and philosophical musings.
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Marcia Marino
non-member comment
Glad you're having such a great time!
Hi, Bev. The night diving sounds pretty amazing. I have never heard of it, so that was really something to read about! I'm glad you two are continuing to have a wonderful time. Take good care! Marcia