What should a diver do immediately after surfacing from a night dive?

After surfacing from a night dive, a diver should stay with their buddy and signal for a safe retrieval. This is crucial for ensuring both divers can assess their situation together, especially in low visibility environments typical of night dives. Staying with a buddy enhances safety by providing mutual support and facilitates coordinated actions, such as signaling for help or navigating to the exit point. Additionally, signaling helps ensure that boat crews or surface support can accurately locate and retrieve the divers, increasing the overall safety of the dive operation.

Other behaviors, such as swimming away from the dive site, could lead to disorientation or separation from the buddy, which compromises safety. Removing all gear before signaling could delay assistance and poses risks, as divers should prioritize communication of their safety and position first. Remaining submerged until help arrives is not a viable option, as it prevents access to air and increases the risk of complications from being underwater when the primary goal should be to get to the surface and seek assistance.