Night Diving
Diving in Maldivian waters at night with lights is unsurpassed. When the sun sets, corals open up and extend their flower-like tentacles, spiders and shrimps leave their tubular sponges to search for food and moray eels, along with the other nocturnal predators, prowl the deep, dark depths. But visibility, excellent by day, is reduced to the narrow tunnel of light from your torch and bumping into a shark hunting by moonlight may be unnerving.
Night dives are often rewarding due to the possibility of seeing new and different marine life. Fish photography is less difficult at night because fishes in their resting state can be approached more easily than during sunlight hours.
As the sun goes down, the reef takes on a different look as familiar reef fishes switch into their night time modes.
When the retreat is complete, the nocturnal animals emerge. Cup corals colour the reef walls with bright yellow and orange polyps while sea cucumbers lumbers across the sand between sea pens. Sweep the reef with your dive light and you will spot soldier fish darting about in their deep red night colors. Examine soft tree corals to find small crabs decorated with bits of sponge and corals for camouflage. Look around for feather stars – curled up during the day, they extend their arms at night to feed.
If you dive in the right area, this is the time for the flashlight fishes to appear. Turn off your dive light and you may see them winking in the dark. To see these extraordinary fishes, find a place near the top of a cavern or recess, turn off all lights and wait. In a few minutes you will see flashing green lights; first one, then two, then several, and soon a sea of them. If you want to photograph these unique fishes, use a 1: 4 framer with a Nikonos; if using a housed camera, focus on the pocket of light – either way it is not easy and patience is a must.
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 Words of Wisdom before you hit the road
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FAQ |
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