What is it Really Like on a Blackwater Dive? Hanging over the Yap Tren

Featuring David Fleetham

Immerse yourself in the shadows of the deep with blackwater diving, where the ocean’s most enigmatic creatures come to life under the cover of night. In this exclusive dive, we venture into a world few have ever witnessed—where bioluminescent wonders and strange, otherworldly creatures defy imagination. This is not your ordinary dive. It’s a journey into the unknown, where the deep-sea migration of creatures from the abyss to the shallows reveals a side of the ocean that remains a mystery to most.

See what Ikelite Video Producer Logan Wood and Ikelite Ambassador David Fleetham find as they hang over the 28,000 foot deep Yap Trench during BlackwaterFest at Manta Ray Bay Resort.

What is Blackwater Diving?

Blackwater diving takes you into the heart of the night ocean, where you float at the surface, suspended in darkness, while powerful lights draw in creatures migrating from the deep. As plankton, jellyfish, and other elusive species rise toward the surface, they bring with them predators that only emerge in the dead of night. The result? A surreal, otherworldly spectacle that feels like you're witnessing the ocean’s most closely guarded secrets unfold in real time.

Blackwater image of a jellyfish taken by David Fleetham

Alien-like critters abound on blackwater dives. This is a rarely seen species of jellyfish, Manokia stiasnyi. © David Fleetham

"Many [larva species] have not been identified and many, to this day, biologists don't know what fish that's going to turn into because they're often so bizarre and so different than what the adult will look like."

Topographical Image of Yap Trench for Ikelite Blackwater Diving Video

The Yap Trench is a popular destination for Blackwater divers and daytime drift dive enthusiasts as well. At night, the nocturnal ecosystem of this region comes alive and provides a unique experience for underwater photographers and videographers.

The Great Migration: From Depths to Shallows

Every night, a massive migration takes place beneath the surface. Creatures that live in the ocean’s deepest, darkest trenches begin their journey upward—drawn to the shallower waters where food and light await. This migration is one of nature’s most extraordinary phenomena, and during blackwater dives, you’ll be on the front lines, watching these creatures ascend from the darkness and into the light for a fleeting moment.

Image of David Fleetham in a blackwater photo shoot, image by Logan Wood

"There are few challenges in underwater photography that come close to the demands of shooting semi-transparent apparitions at night, a few miles out to sea with the bottom several thousand feet below your flailing fins." Read David Fleetham's article Extending Your Bottom(less) Time While Blackwater Diving.

"All you've got to orient to is this column of lights and there is no bottom. That can be intimidating. But once you get in and get the feel for it and start looking for creatures, you quickly forget about all that."

Tonnoid snail larva blackwater image taken by David Fleetham

Ambassador David Fleetham left his hometown of Vancouver, Canada, for Maui in 1986 and never looked back. He earned his USCG Captain's license while working in various dive charter businesses, shooting, and submitting his photos to magazines and businesses. One of the most prolific underwater photographers of his time, David now has galleries and agents in over 50 countries that reproduce his images thousands of times each year. Read more...