SSI Night & Limited Visibility
Your light catches a pair of eyes in the coral that were never there at noon. Then your buddy's beam swings away, and for one second you are completely alone in the dark.
That moment is exactly what this course is built to handle. Night & Limited Visibility teaches the lights, buddy-contact signals, and navigation specific to darkness and murky water, so the reef you have dived a dozen times in daylight becomes a place you can explore calmly after the sun goes down.
Availability: Contact us for booking information
Nocturnal Hunters Come Out. Colors Shift. A Site You Know Stops Feeling Familiar.
Your buddy’s light swings the other way, and for a moment the familiar reef feels completely new. That is not a malfunction. That is night diving: different marine life, colors that only appear under your own beam, and an environment that feels entirely new. It is one of the most rewarding kinds of diving there is, and it requires specific skills to do safely.
SSI Night & Limited Visibility teaches specialized lights, buddy-contact procedures, and navigation built for darkness and low visibility, with a real night dive as the practical application. $249 per diver (group) · $349 private · $395 bundled with Deep Diving. Open Water Diver, minimum age 10.
Night & Limited Visibility Is for the Diver Who Wants to Explore After Dark Calmly
You want to see the reef’s nocturnal side
An entirely different set of marine life is active at night. Hunting octopus, sleeping parrotfish, glowing organisms. This course gives you the procedures to see it calmly and safely.
You feel anxious in murky or dark water
Specific buddy contact and navigation techniques for exactly this condition replace anxiety with practiced procedure.
You dive Austin-area lakes where visibility varies
Local lake diving often means lower visibility than ocean diving. Limited visibility procedures apply directly to every lake dive you do at home.
You want to photograph subjects that only appear at night
Night photography captures colors and behavior daytime diving never shows. This course is the prerequisite skill set.
Course at a Glance
| Price | $249 per diver (group) · $349 per diver (private) |
| Bundle pricing | $395 when combined with Deep Diving |
| Format | Online academics via MySSI app · one night dive at Lake Travis |
| Time commitment | Self-paced academics (2–3 hours) plus one night dive · typically an evening commitment including drive time to Lake Travis |
| Location | Lake Travis |
| Prerequisites | Open Water Diver (any agency) · minimum age 10 |
| Lights & equipment | Primary light, backup light, and marker light required · rental and purchase options available through Tom’s · call ahead to confirm |
| Night dive location | Scheduled at Lake Travis based on conditions and access · site confirmed when booking |
| Certification awarded | SSI Night & Limited Visibility · lifetime, recognized worldwide |
| CE lane | Control / Comfort → |
Ready to see the reef after dark?
SSI Night & Limited Visibility — $249 · Austin, TX
One real night dive at Lake Travis. Bundle with Deep Diving for $395. Call (512) 451-3425.
View the Dive Calendar →Academics, Preparation, Then One Real Night Dive
Online academics covering the full scope of night and limited visibility diving, followed by a complete night dive with your instructor at Lake Travis.
Cover specialized equipment (primary, backup, and tank lights), planning a night dive, topside personnel and safety roles, buddy contact procedures, navigation techniques specific to low visibility, and emergency procedures for light failure.
Set up surface lights, prepare your gear for night conditions, and review buddy signals and contact procedures before entering the water. Your instructor walks through the full dive plan topside before you enter.
A complete night dive: entry, descent, exploration of the site under your own light, buddy contact maintenance throughout, and a calm, controlled exit. Your instructor is with your buddy team throughout.
Your SSI Night & Limited Visibility certification is awarded through the MySSI app. Lifetime credential, recognized worldwide.
Comfort in Conditions Most Certified Divers Avoid
Night and limited visibility are conditions every diver eventually encounters, whether intentionally or not. This course turns them from a source of anxiety into a skill set you can rely on.
Confident navigation with lights and practiced low-visibility procedures
Reliable buddy contact techniques that work in the dark and in murky water
Calm, practiced emergency response if a light fails underwater
Access to an entirely different category of diving, and the marine life that comes with it
We Build Divers We Would Trust With Our Own Families.
Night diving is capability over certification in the clearest sense: the skill is what lets you actually enjoy what comes out after dark, not just hold a card that says you tried it once. Tom’s instructors run night dives regularly at familiar Austin-area sites, so your first night dive happens somewhere your instructor already knows in the dark, not an unfamiliar location adding extra uncertainty.
Tom’s has been Austin’s only SSI Dive Center since 1982, open longer than any other Austin dive shop still in business. Over 400 five-star Google reviews.
Your First Night Dive at a Site Your Instructor Knows in the Dark
Not a new location adding uncertainty to an already different kind of dive. A familiar site your instructor has dived at night before.
Open Longer Than Any Other Austin Dive Shop Still in Business
Four decades of running night dives for Austin divers at every experience level.
Pair With Deep Diving for $395
Night and Deep Diving are a popular bundle, building two complementary capabilities that open up the full range of recreational diving.
30+ Tom’s Instructors
Flexible scheduling for your night dive, built around your availability and timing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not inherently. The specific risks of reduced visibility are well understood and directly addressed by this course: lights, buddy contact, and navigation procedures designed for exactly these conditions. Proper training and planning make night diving safe and enjoyable.
You carry a backup light specifically for this scenario. The course also teaches the practiced procedure for light failure so it is a calm, known response rather than a stressful unknown.
Call Tom’s before the course to discuss light requirements. If you plan to night dive regularly, owning your own primary and backup lights is a good investment. Rental options may be available for the course itself.
Yes. The limited visibility procedures apply directly to any low-visibility condition, including Austin-area lake diving in daylight. The buddy contact and navigation techniques work regardless of whether darkness or turbidity is the cause.
Yes. Night and Deep Diving bundle for $395. They are a popular pairing for divers building a broader range of capability at Lake Travis and beyond.
Yes. All students complete an SSI Medical Statement before any in-water activity. Most people do not require a physician’s signature.
Ready to dive after dark?
SSI Night & Limited Visibility — $249 · Austin, TX
Call (512) 451-3425 to schedule your night dive.
View the Dive Calendar →