Night Dive
Nilaveli's coral gardens after sunset. Certified divers, torches lit, and the reef doing its other, stranger performance.
The same reef you know by day is a different place after dark. Hunters come out, colours shift under torchlight, and the world shrinks to the beam in front of you. This is a dive for people who are already comfortable underwater and want the reef at its strangest. Led only by an instructor, never a divemaster alone.
What’s included
- Full equipment: regulator, BCD, wetsuit, mask, fins and a 12-litre tank of air
- An experienced instructor or guide
- Drinking water at the centre, plus tea and snacks after
- A dive torch
Not included
- GoPro photos and video (not included on night dives)
- DAN dive insurance (recommended)
Good to know
Certified divers only (Open Water or above), minimum age 18.
Highlights
- Dive the reef after dark, torch in hand.
- See the night shift: hunting eels, crustaceans, sleeping fish.
- Small, instructor-led group.
Requirements
- Certified divers only (Open Water or above).
- Minimum age 18.
- A diver medical questionnaire is required. You complete it during booking. A “yes” to any question means a physician must sign the medical form (bring the signed form on Day 1).
- Scuba Refresh may apply if you haven’t dived recently. A night dive after a long layoff will require it.
Programme & duration
- 17:45Arrive and get ready: kit fitting
- 18:00Briefing: torches, signals and buddy check
- around 18:20Boat out
- around 18:45Night dive, about 45 minutes
- around 19:45Boat back
- 20:00Back at the dive centre
Times on the water are approximate and follow the sea and the group on the day.
Adding a Scuba Refresh? It comes first, in confined water, so you start earlier. Your confirmation email shows your exact times.
One dive, 18:00–20:00. Arrive 15 minutes before for briefing and gear.
Medical, flight & insurance
Most people answer “no” to every question on the diver medical questionnaire and are cleared to dive. A “yes” to any question means a physician must sign the medical form confirming you’re fit to dive. Bring the signed form with you on Day 1.
Planning to fly after diving? PADI and DAN recommend waiting at least 12 hours after a single dive, 18 hours after multiple dives, and ideally 24 hours for complete peace of mind.
We recommend DAN Europe (Divers Alert Network) dive insurance: recommended, not required, and no sign-up is needed to book. Dive safe, dive insured. Get covered with DAN →
What to bring
- Swimwear
- Towel
- Biodegradable sunscreen
- Your certification card or digital card
Meeting & pick-up
- Arrive 15 minutes before your start time for registration, briefing and equipment fitting.
- Our centre is right on the beach. Most accommodation is a short walk or tuk tuk away. There is no tuk tuk pick-up service on the east coast.
- Your confirmation email carries the exact meeting point and time.
Who it’s for
For: Comfortable, current certified divers.
Not for: Not for beginners, nervous or out-of-practice divers, or under-18s.
Dive sites & marine life
Reef sites such as Angel Rock, plus deeper sites around 6 km south (to 30 m). You’ll likely see blacktip reef sharks in the shallows, schooling barracuda, trevally, turtles, moray eels and octopus.