Prepare During the Day for Night Dives

• Pack your primary scuba light, a backup light and marker light, which should illuminate your ascent line. Bring fresh batteries.
• Organize your diving equipment during daylight hours. Make sure all safety equipment is on board the dive boat.
• Check weather and current conditions ahead of time. Make sure your dive buddy is outfitted and ready to go.
• When diving, don't shine your strobe in your buddy's face. It will temporarily blind and disorient the diver.
• Don't switch your dive light off and on frequently. Equipment failure usually happens with the switch.
• Try to dim your light by covering it with your hands, so you do not over brighten the underwater area you are viewing.
• Learn light signals that divers use at night. Waving your light up and down means "Help!" Making a big circle with your light signals "OK."
• If you surface far from the boat, shine the light on it to get attention. Then shine the scuba light on your head, so the dive boat can get to you. If you keep the light on the boat, no one will be able to see and find you.