What do you see on a night dive? Isn't it dark?
Without underwater lights, night dives certainly would be very dark. However, divers on a night dive carry flashlights, which not only light up the reef, but make it appear more colorful and vibrant than during the day. In the daytime, sunlight filters down through the water, which absorbs most of the red light and leaves the underwater world appearing blueish green. On a night dive, diver's flashlights are the source of light, not the sun. Because divers carry bring their lights close to the reef, the light does not travel far before striking its target, and very little red light is absorbed by the water. Divers underwater at night see the true, brilliant colors of the underwater world.
Dive sites at night are buzzing with activity. Fish and coral appear more colorful on a night dive. Brightly-hued creatures like lobsters and sea urchins creep out from their daytime hiding places to feed. Predatory fish use the cover of darkness to stalk prey. Tiny, fragile reef-dwellers sneak out for their midnight snacks under the protection of darkness, and coral polyps bloom to feed from the water. Night time is dinner time on the reef.
Here are some photos to give you an idea of the creatures scuba divers encounter on night dives.
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 Sun Coral Polyps |  Brain Coral |  Lemon Shark |  Lobster |
 Squid |  Basket Star |  Stingray |  Sea Urchin |
 Octopus |  Cryptic Teardrop Crab |  Cuttlefish |  Tube Anemone |
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