Lighthouse
The night dive, and the easiest shore entry we run
- Depth
- 4 - 16 m
- Visibility
- 8 - 18 m
- Minimum level
- Open Water Diver
- Site type
- Shore
- Entry
- Shore entry
- Water
- 28 - 31°C
- Shore
- Havelock Island
A gentle slope of coral rubble and bommies running out from the beach, reaching 16 m about two hundred metres offshore. In daylight it is a pleasant, unhurried dive. At night it is the best macro site on the island.
What you will see
After dark the hunters come out: lionfish patrolling in the torchlight, moray eels free-swimming across the sand, and octopus in the open rather than folded into a hole. Look for the sleeping parrotfish in their mucus cocoons, and turn your torch off for a minute on the way in - the bioluminescence here is worth the interruption.
How it dives
No boat, no schedule, and no crossing to feel ill on. You walk in from the beach in your kit, which is a short and slightly ungainly wade, then descend once the water is chest deep. There is no current to speak of. Torches, backup torches and a surface marker come from us.
What you will see
- The island night dive
- Octopus, morays and lionfish
- Bioluminescence on the way in
- No boat, no crossing
When to dive it
Best conditions: October - May
Outside those months the site still gets dived - visibility and sea state just move around, so ask us what the water is doing the week you are here.
What the water is doing
The figures our guides brief on. They are what the site usually gives you - the sea gets the final say on the morning, and the boat briefing always wins.
- Depth4 - 16 m
- Visibility8 - 18 m
- Water temperature28 - 31°C
- CurrentNo current
- No current
- Mild current
- Moderate current
- Strong current
Comfortable for a diver holding their own buoyancy.
Under the surface
Before you dive
The rules every diver on this site is held to, whichever trip brings you here. None of them are negotiable, and none of them are a surprise on the day.
Minimum age
Ten years old for a first guided dive, twelve and above for certified diving. Ask us if you are travelling with younger children.
Medical declaration
You will complete a diver medical questionnaire before entering the water. A "yes" to any question means a doctor has to sign you off first, so tell us early rather than on the boat.
Flying after diving
Leave at least 18 hours between your last dive and your flight. Book your trip home with that gap already in it - we cannot shorten it for you.
Insurance
Bring travel insurance that names recreational scuba diving, including chamber treatment and evacuation. We will ask to see it.
This is general guidance for recreational diving, not medical advice about you. If any of it is a question rather than a formality, speak to a doctor before you travel.
Questions divers ask about this site
Do I need a night diving certification?
No. A guided night dive is open to any certified diver, and it counts toward the Advanced course if you decide to do one later.
What if my torch fails?
You carry two - a primary and a backup - and your guide carries a third. That is the whole reason for the rule.
What time does it run?
We enter about twenty minutes after sunset, so between 18:00 and 18:30 depending on the month. Back on the beach inside ninety minutes.
More diving around Havelock Island
PinnacleHavelock IslandAdvanced Open Water and upDixon Pinnacle
The deep one everybody comes back for18 - 40 mVisibility 20 - 35 mExplore site
ReefHavelock IslandAdvanced Open Water and upJohnny's Gorge
A garden of fans at 26 metres22 - 30 mVisibility 18 - 30 mExplore site
ReefHavelock IslandOpen Water Diver and upJackson Bar
The best all-round reef on the island8 - 24 mVisibility 15 - 30 mExplore site
Want this site on your log? Tell us when you are on the island and we will put you on the boat that goes there.
What people say once the boat is back in
Best first dive I could have asked for. The instructors were unbelievably patient - I panicked at four metres on the first attempt and nobody made me feel stupid about it. Second attempt went fine and I finished the course three days later.
Rahul MenonOpen Water Diver Only one of us dives. Every other operator we spoke to had a plan where the other one sat on a beach for four days. Aqua Nomads put the snorkel line off the same boat, so we were in the same water the whole week - and by day three I had done a Discover Scuba dive too. The sunset sailing on the last evening was the best hour of the trip.
Priya and Arjun NairHoneymoon, FebruaryThey called the Dixon crossing on our first morning because of a swell, and I was quietly annoyed. We dived Jackson Bar twice instead and it turned out to be the best day of the week. Getting Dixon on day three in flat water made the point - they were right and I was wrong.
Daniel OseiAdvanced Open Water Diver Two teenagers, neither of whom had dived. The instructors worked one-to-one with both of them for the first two dives without us asking, and my daughter has since booked her Open Water for next December. Whatever they did, it worked.
The Fernandes familyFour divers, two of them under fifteen I cannot swim well and I said so when I booked. They ran the whole thing one instructor to one diver, stayed in the shallow half of the bay, and never once made it feel like a concession. I have since done the swim assessment and the full course.
Aditi SharmaOpen Water Diver