How to Prepare for a Night Dive on Bonaire
Night Diving at dive site Salt Pier on Bonaire
A Safe Night Dive Starts with Preparation
Night diving on Bonaire is one of those experiences you’ll never forget — but while the magic unfolds underwater, the secret to enjoying it fully lies in preparation.
Whether you’re joining a guided night dive with Scuba Elite or planning to explore with your buddy, preparing properly is about more than just charging your light. It’s about choosing your dive site wisely, making a solid dive plan, and knowing how to read your instruments underwater — as well as how to communicate clearly with light signals.
1. Choose Your Dive Site Wisely
The best night dives are at sites you already know from daylight. Familiarity makes a big difference — you’ll recognize key features, feel more relaxed during your entry and exit, and stay oriented when your surroundings look a little different at night.
Here are a few great starter dive sites for night diving on Bonaire:
🪸 Something Special – Calm, easy entry, close to town, and ideal for your first night dive. Tarpons often follow your torch beam here, hunting for small fish. It’s also Scuba Elite’s house reef and our favorite site for night diver training.
🪸 Invisibles – A wonderful site for ostracod dives a few nights after the full moon. It requires good navigation from the mooring back to shore over a sandy patch (otherwise you might end up with a longer surface swim), so it’s best for divers who already feel confident using a compass.
If it’s your first time diving at night, start guided with us at Something Special. Our guidance makes it the perfect setting to focus on the experience instead of the logistics.
2. Prepare Your Dive Gear and Charge Your Dive Lights
Your dive light is your best friend at night. It’s not just about seeing the reef — it’s also how you communicate, stay oriented, and maintain awareness underwater.
What to Bring on a Night Dive
Primary light: A strong, fully charged torch with a wide, even beam.
Backup light: Always take one, even for short dives. Lights can dim faster than expected or fail completely — a backup is a must.
Tank marker light (optional): A small LED marker on your tank helps your buddy identify you easily.
At Scuba Elite, we provide rental lights that are fully charged, tested, and ready before every dive. During our pre-dive briefing — or when you rent lights from us — we also review light signals together to make communication simple and safe:
🔵 Slow circle = OK
⚪ Quick side-to-side = Attention or something isn’t OK
These small habits make a big difference once you’re underwater.
3. Learn to Read Your Dive Instruments in the Dark
Night dives require a bit of adjustment when it comes to reading your SPG, compass, and dive computer. With the right preparation, it quickly becomes second nature.
SPG: Most SPGs have a glow-in-the-dark mode. Shine your dive light on the gauge briefly, and it will stay illuminated once you move the beam away.
Compass: Many compasses also glow the same way your SPG does.
Dive Computer: Know which button activates your backlight. Some dive computers switch on automatically, while others require manual activation — check before descending.
Before every night dive, we go through these steps together and make sure you know how your buddy’s equipment works too. It’s part of the safety routine — making sure you’re not only equipped but confident using your gear in low light.
4. Make a Conservative Dive Plan
A night dive begins with a clear dive plan. Even experienced divers can feel slightly disoriented in the dark, so a dive plan and a safe dive always go hand in hand.
Our general guidelines for night dives:
Depth: Discuss the maximum depth with your buddy.
Duration: Agree on a maximum dive time (usually 45–60 minutes).
Turn point: Decide on either turn pressure or time.
Ascent: Keep it slow and controlled, with a 3-minute safety stop at 5 meters.
Communication: Review hand and light signals and how to read instruments underwater.
And most importantly: Dive the plan.
We brief these details during a guided night dive on land so everyone knows what to expect and when to start heading back. The result? A relaxed, unhurried dive where you can focus on the moment — not the logistics.
5. Adjust Your Mindset: Go Slow!
The best night dives aren’t about covering distance — they’re about slowing down.
Move slowly, breathe evenly, and let your eyes adjust to the darkness.
Keep your buoyancy in mind — without clear visual references, it’s easy to ascend slightly faster than you realize. Stay aware of your depth and use your computer to check regularly.
When you move slowly, the reef reveals its secrets: coral polyps extending tiny arms to feed, an octopus hunting across the sand, or a tarpon gliding through your light beam. These quiet, focused moments are what make night diving on Bonaire truly special.
Coral polyps during a night dive on Bonaire
After the Dive: Don’t Forget to Look Up!
After surfacing, take a moments look up, and enjoy Bonaire’s star-filled sky — it’s truly beautiful. It’s in those calm, post-dive moments that you realize how peaceful night diving can be.
And if you’re hooked? Your next step might be the PADI Night Diver Specialty, where you’ll refine your light handling, navigation, and buoyancy for even greater confidence at night.
Our Final Thoughts on Night Diving on Bonaire
A great night dive starts long before you get in the water. Charge your lights, plan your dive, check your gear — and then, once you descend, slow down. The world narrows to your beam of light; colors appear more vivid, and the corals slowly come to life around you.
Join us for a guided Night Dive on Bonaire, and we’ll help you make the dark feel calm, familiar, and unforgettable.
Octopus hiding during a night dive on Bonaire
