UKDIVING TRAVELSPECIAL
Male argonauts , a pelagic species of octopus , living on a salp chain
‘ soak ’ for anything from a few minutes to half an hour or so . The lights tend to attract planktonic organisms , which in turn can attract some plankton eaters , and act as a good visual aid for orientation and depth .
All divers must be equipped with at least two underwater torches and an SMB . The dive resort stipulates that divers must have a minimum of 50 dives , night dive experience and good buoyancy skills . Some centres require divers to be tethered , either to the line or to the boat . At CBR , divers are not tethered , hence the need for good buoyancy and awareness of surroundings .
Once in the water , the divers navigate slightly away from the line and swim slowly around it , systematically scanning the water column with their torches . It is somewhat easier to do this a reasonable distance from the line , as the bright lights can be quite distracting and I found they interfered with my night vision .
The divers drift with the line , and can cover considerable distances depending on the current . It ’ s important to keep an eye on where the line is , though ; if there ’ s a surface current or wind , you may find the lights of the line dimming and receding fairly quickly . Divers use the bottom light on the line as a maximum depth reference , however a computer with a permanently lit LED screen is recommended for ease of use .
Larval stage Indian halibut
Juvenile pancake batfish
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