How to Communicate During Your Night Dive
There’s something thrilling about seeing a familiar dive site at night. The single pillar of vision offered by your light forces you to take in every detail of the dive, allowing you to appreciate the little things. But the same dark waters that make night dives so exhilarating also make clear communication a challenge. And as any avid diver knows, when communication is poor, so is the dive. That’s why we’ve put together a guide to help you communicate effectively on every night dive.
TALK IT OUT ABOVE WATER
Half the battle of communicating during a night dive is coming up with a plan before getting in the water. You and your buddy should discuss everything from the order of the dive (are you exploring the reefs first? or the overhangs?) to communication tactics (are you using hand signals? or light signals?). Working out these seemingly minor details ahead of time will make a big difference once you’re underwater.
CHOOSE YOUR COMMUNICATION METHOD
There are a variety of effective ways to communicate underwater during a night dive. The key is to make sure you and your buddy are on the same page about how you’ll do so. Some popular options are:
HAND SIGNALS
You can use regular hand signals by shining your light on your hands to signal to your buddy. Just be sure never to shine your light in your buddy’s eyes (or your own), as it will deplete your night vision. Your best bet is to shine your light diagonally across your chest, pointing the light over your shoulder. Then bring your free hand to your chest to signal in the beam of light.
LIGHT SIGNALS
Light signals can also be used to communicate with your buddy underwater during night dives. This tends to be the fastest and most straightforward way to get your buddy’s attention and communicate with ease in low lighting.
ROPE SIGNALS
When diving in areas with abnormally low visibility, you’ll want to use a rope to stay tethered to your buddy. This not only helps you to stick together, but also acts as an effective form of communication.
UNDERSTAND THE SIGNALS
While you may have hand signals down pat, there’s an entirely new “vocabulary” to learn for both light and rope signals. Here are some of the basics:
IF YOU’RE USING LIGHT SIGNALS…
SIGNAL: Move light up and down
MEANING: “I want your attention” or “Look at me”
SIGNAL: Move your light in a circular motion around your buddy’s pillar of light.
MEANING: “Follow my beam of light”
The signaling diver then slowly moves their light to where they want their buddy to look.
SIGNAL: Move light in a circle
MEANING: “Okay”
SIGNAL: Move light in a back and forth, horizontal motion repeatedly
MEANING: Emergency
Always be sure to make light signals in a slow and steady manner, otherwise they may be mistaken for emergency signals.
IF YOU’RE USING ROPE SIGNALS…
SIGNAL: 1 Pull
MEANING: “Are you alright?”
REPLY: 1 Pull
MEANING: “Yes, I’m alright!”
SIGNAL: 2 Pulls
MEANING: “Don’t move.”
REPLY: 2 Pulls
MEANING: “I’m not moving.”
SIGNAL: 3 Pulls
MEANING: “Descend”
REPLY: 3 Pulls
MEANING: “I’m descending.”
SIGNAL: 4 Pulls
MEANING: “Come up.”
REPLY: 4 Pulls
MEANING: “I’m coming up.”
SIGNAL: 5 Pulls
MEANING: “Emergency, we must surface immediately.”
Want more tips on night diving? Check out our 6 Tips for a Perfect Night Dive.