Night Diving in Cebu

Let’s go Night Diving


The first time I went on a night dive was back in England, as part of my PADI Advanced diver course. It took place in a freezing cold quarry with zero visibility, and a bottom composition of mud, sludge and silt. I was so glad when it ended, because I was afraid I had frostbite in the ends of my fingers.

Contrast that with a night dive in the Philippines; 20M visibility, water temperatures of around 26 C, an amazing diversity of nocturnal life and afterwards you can drink 4 beers for the price of one in the UK.

My first and favourite place to dive locally to Cebu City is in-between Hadsan Cove and Buyong. This dive site, at night, generally seems to offer the most to see for the keen night diver. During a day dive it is not unusual to go 10-15 minutes in-between seeing something interesting. On a night dive at Hadsan it is not uncommon to see something interesting every minute. You will rarely see crustaceans(crabs and shrimps) on a day dive but, at night, they come out to hunt for food. The most common crabs found are Hermit crabs(family Paguridae), Decorator crabs, Ornamental crabs and Reef crabs. Banded Coral shrimps are also out and about foraging for food and , due to their vivid colour, make good subjects for photography.

Asides from crabs and shrimps you may also see moray eels, cuttlefish, lionfish, scorpionfish, plenty of soldier fish(a nocturnal fish), catfish and even octopus. You may even see a strange grey, fast-moving holuthurian(sea cucumber) which moves much faster than it’s day time cousins and has, so far, eluded my camera. Every time I shine my light on one it quickly revolves and reteats into the reef.

Sea urchins are also generally nocturnal. This way they avoid predation from fish during the day. The sticky feather stars(crinoids) are also nocturnal in habit so it is best not to swim too close to the reef to avoid one sticking to your wetsuit . If you should brush an exposed part of your body against one your skin will be irritated so they are to be avoided.

Brittle stars and basket stars are also common sightings on night dives as they are also nocturnal. At night they emerge from their hiding places to feed on plankton.

The ideal time to go night diving is after 6.30. Don’t let the boatman or local dive guide push you to get in the water by 6PM. He just wants to get home early. The nocturnal creatures are not out by then. In fact, the later you leave it the better.

The best things to see are between 8-12M so there is no need to go deep. This helps to minimize the risk of anyone getting low on air. Only attempt a night dive if you feel comfortable with it. Never be peer pressured into doing a dive you are not happy about. You will need good buoyancy control as one hand will be occupied with a flashlight. If you are practicing underwater photography during the night dive you should be an experienced diver with exemplary buouyancy control as both hands will be occupied.

Avoid night dives if the sea is rough, the tides or current are strong,and the visibility is poor. Make sure you are familiar with your equipment and if possible dive a site you have dived during the day.

Each diver should have a primary flashlight. A back-up light is recommended but not compulsory. I use an Underwater Kinetics rechargeable C4. It uses size C batteries. In my opinion the bigger the batteries the brighter the light. Size does matter. If you have a light that uses AA or AAA batteries they are best used as back-up lights. The best lights use size C or D batteries and, it is best not to economise on batteries as, the cheaper ones will only last 30 minutes underwater. I have found Ever Ready Super Heavy Duty batteries to last beyond an hour in my lights.

Most diving organizations recommend using a back-up light but, unless you have your own, it can add another$7 USD to the price,so it is cheaper to use a chemical light , such as a cyalume stick. A stick that, once snapped, provides a fluorescent light source. (The ones all the ravers use.) In the unlikely event your light fails underwater, either change to your back-up(if you have one) or let the dive guide know and stick close to him or your buddy for the remainder of the dive. With several lights the underwater realm will be lit up like Regent Street at Christmas , so there should be no need to panic if your light goes out. Strobes or flashing lights are another option as an alternative light source.

While you are kitting up the dive guide should give a briefing which should include how to use the light correctly, how to signal with the light and, to avoid shining the light directly in another diver’s eyes. He will also tell you to monitor your gauges more often than usual, especially the air gauge.

So, find your dive buddy and let’s go Night Diving.