Night Safari

bobbit wormI suppose this goes without saying, but night dives can be amazing experiences...particularly in critter-filled locations like the Lembeh Strait.

When I was in Lembeh in March, I allocated more time than usual to diving at night. Partially, this was driven by the fact that I was with a bunch of really enthusiastic people who were always up for a night dive, and partially, my schedule was determined by the need to get other things done during the day.

As a result, I saw some incredible stuff.

red octopus

Besides the usual collection of nocturnal creepy-crawlies like bobbit worms, squid, octopuses and the like, I witnessed all sorts of predation, flounders mating, Inimicus scorpionfish mating, crabs mating, shellfish mating, nudibranchs mating, pufferfish mating...you get the idea.

After each action-packed dive, I found myself wondering what it would be like to keep diving through the night. I mean...it's not like the hunting, mating and other behaviour stopped at the end of our night dives. Nope. The critters of the night just kept on doing what they were doing...and it just killed me that I wasn't able to go back in.

fish

After the trip, I discussed this with my friends David and Sanah of Scubacam, and Aey and Mean from FiNS Magazine. As a result of my obsession with nightlife, we've put together a trip to Lembeh from 27 February to 6 March next year to focus on diving at night...an outing we've dubbed The Night Safari 2010.

The objective of the trip is to dive at night, with a heavy emphasis on photography and video. To do this, we've again enlisted the cooperation of Kasawari Lembeh Resort, whose owners and staff have agreed to switch over to a night-schedule for this crazy little project.

With its efficient layout, amazing camera room, and dedicated staff, Kasawari is the perfect place to try something like this.

As far as I know, nothing like this has been done before in Lembeh, perhaps because not too many people would like to dive only at night, or perhaps just because no one ever thought of it.

In any event, this trip isn't for everyone. If the thought of getting in pitch-black water filled with mostly poisonous creepy things that tend to sneak up on you doesn't make you positively giddy with excitement, then something's wrong with you then this trip probably isn't for you.

flathead fish

If the prospect of exploring the dark, mysterious waters of Lembeh 'til the wee hours of the night tickles your fancy, consider joining us for this unique trip. The prospective schedule looks like this:

27 Feb: Singapore-Manado/ 1 evening/ night dive possible
28 Feb: Normal diving schedule
01 Mar: Switch to night schedule: 17:00, 20:00, 23:00
02 Mar: Night schedule: 17:00, 20:00, 23:00
03 Mar: Night schedule: 17:00, 20:00, 23:00
04 Mar: Transition back to normal schedule: 13:00, 16:00, 19:00
05 Mar: Two morning dives: 07:30, 10:30
06 Mar: Manado-Singapore

The basic cost is US$1840/ diver (normal villa) and US$2000/ diver (deluxe villa), excluding airfare. For more details, download this PDF file and/ or email Scubacam with any questions you may have.