Dive Time with Tim Grollimund
The joy of night diving
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Posted - Friday, February 17, 2012 11:36 AM EST
A trio of squid hand in front of Frazier Nivens’ film camera while we wait for the coral spawning event. (Photo by Tim Grollimund)
Night dives are a great deal of fun. Some people don’t like them, and I understand that. It can be a little daunting the first time you jump into a big dark puddle.
I’ve had some of my most memorable dives at night. I have not done as many in the Keys as I should have by now, so in a belated New Year’s resolution, I will do more locally this year.
When I go on an overseas trip, I go every night they let me. Again, if I’m going halfway around the world, I’m jumping in every chance I get. So it’s my fault I don’t do more night dives right here in my own backyard. It’s even worse if you consider the fact that I know Molasses Reef a lot better then Lembeh Strait. Shame on me. I need to pick up the pace on night dives.
My photo student, David Molzof, wanted to do a night dive this week, so we climbed aboard the Santana at Ocean Divers and headed to Molasses Reef. He was amazed with the dive, and we are going on another one next week. Since it was his first night dive, he didn’t take his camera. Next time he will. I am eager to see his first night images. Part of the delight of teaching is watching people experience something for the first time.
Each time David has gone in with his camera, he has come out with better images than the last time. I am having a blast watching him progress and gain confidence. Now he is telling me what he can do to improve as I prompt him through an evaluation. He is working hard and it shows.
For the night dive, the plan was for him to watch me work the subjects, position the strobes and work the spotting light. I have a light that has a red illumination option. Some species seem to be indifferent to red, which works great at night once my eyes adjust.
As an orientation to night diving, we checked our gear, made sure our lights worked, talked about staying close together, and agreed on a path around the aquarium. Chris, one of the divemasters from Ocean Divers, was also with us. I think they know my tendency to stray from the pack from time to time, so having Chris with us was a bonus. We stayed close to the boat to make it more relaxing for David.
As it turned out, we didn’t have to go far to see a stingray, spotted lobster, hermit crabs bouncing around, basket stars in full sail, and a plethora of daytime fish with their pajama colors on.
According to David, “with 65 total dives under my belt, I decided it was time to try a new adventure before I head back to the cold winter of Iowa. Last night, with the support of Tim and Chris, I did it. It was the most amazing and spectacular dive I have experienced so far.
“I saw the reef in a whole different perspective. To see a conch moving slowly on the reef floor, a parrotfish huddled close to the reef for protection, a stingray gliding peacefully past, and come face to face with a Goliath grouper, all in the dark, made this first night dive a great memory for me. Shining my light up under ledges and seeing all these little shrimp and lobster eyes glaring back was really kind of eerie at first. Plus seeing how much more beautiful some of the coral looks compared to the daytime was very interesting. Next time I am taking my camera!”
Dennis and Conni Bishop from Tok, Alaska were also on board. This was her third night dive. Her first two were in Hawaii last year on their honeymoon.
“She was working on her Advanced Open Water certification. She was following her compass heading and had to wait for a shark to move along. Neither the shark nor darkness bothered her. She was too busy trying to pass her class to be slowed down by a pesky shark,” as Dennis relates the story.
This was their second trip to the Keys. I asked Dennis to compare our waters to other places he’s been diving — Hawaii, Alaska, Cozumel, Crystal River, Venice and West Palm Beach.
“I find that everywhere I go there is something that really stands out. The Keys have some very interesting wrecks. There are a lot of big barracuda. The Goliath grouper are simply amazing. There is a lot of variety to the reef that catches my eye every few feet. Best of all are the great people we meet from the dive shops to the restaurants. We are headed next to Key West to dive the Vandenberg.” Hope the winds flatten for you, Dennis and Conni.
A recent memorable night dive for me was last August during the coral spawning, when Frazier Nivens invited me to go with him aboard Captain Slate’s boat. While I didn’t get the spawning action (it happened the next night), I did catch a squid catching a fish. Thanks to Frazier and Spencer for another memorable moment in dark waters.
Don’t forget — please join us Sunday, Feb. 19 from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. for the benefit for Frazier and his family. He is up and around now, getting better by the day, but still a long way from getting in the water. The details are on the web site: www.fraziernivensbenefit.com/. There are some very nice items in the silent auction, so come out and bid, listen to some good music, and help our friend Frazier.
Tim Grollimund is a freelance photographer and PADI divemaster based in Key Largo. He can be reached at tim@timgimages.com or through his web site at www.timgimages.com. Keep tabs on his activity for the Coral Restoration Foundation at www.timgimages.com/crlogbook.
