“Midnight Descent: What This Diver Captured at the Ocean Floor Will Haunt Your Dreams”

Deep sea diving isn’t just another hobby; it’s an invitation to face your fears head-on—think of it as the ocean’s version of skydiving, but with a whole lot more fish and ahem, potential monsters lurking beneath the surface. Most folks would rather stick to their beach chairs, soaking up the sun than navigate the murky depths. Yet, for those of us with a curious itch, there’s good news! If you’ve ever been curious about what happens beneath the waves when night falls, you’re in for a treat! Scuba diver and filmmaker Barny Dillarstone took his trusty camera on a midnight dive off the coast of Amed, Bali, showcasing an underwater world that’s as enchanting as it is chilling. Get ready to explore the weird, wild, and wonderful creatures that come out when the sun goes down—all without needing to hold your breath! The unique footage is bound to leave you both mesmerized and a little spooked. Interested? Keep reading to dive deeper into Barny’s incredible underwater adventure! LEARN MORE.

Deep sea diving isn’t for the faint-hearted, which is why the majority of people steer well clear of it.

But if you fancy finding out what goes down after dark on the seabed without actually heading underwater yourself, you’re in luck.

Scuba diver and filmmaker Barny Dillarstone took his camera along with him as he explored the depths of the ocean in Amed, Bali, in November last year.

Still, it’s not like him having his recording equipment on his person was a rare occurrence, as the content creator regularly shares videos of him ‘dropping baited camera into remote reefs around the Indo-Pacific’.

The footage has left viewers ‘terrified’ of the deep sea (Getty Stock Image)

As a self-proclaimed ‘lover of all things that swim’, Barny is constantly hunting for ‘crazy ocean creatures‘.

But footage of his dive in Amed under the cover of darkness has managed to ‘terrify’ and amaze a host of his subscribers, thanks to the series of unusual marine animals he bumped into along the way.

Barny explained that he headed out at midnight in the hopes of finding out what weird and wonderful creatures emerge at the witching hour.

“It’s so fun just looking out into the darkness at night, because there could be anything out there,” he told the camera. “We’re going to go crawling around to see what’s lurking on the reef when the lights go out.”

Barny admitted he ‘barely even saw’ the tasseled scorpionfish beneath him as it was camouflaged so well (YouTube/barnydillarstone)

The YouTuber stumbled into species which a lot of people have never even heard of, as well as the usual ocean dwellers such as blue-spotted stingrays, cornetfish with ‘crazy colours’ and an ‘absolutely monstrous’ lionfish.

Although he enjoyed seeing the incredible sights, Barny did admit that ‘being down here alone at midnight is pretty creepy’, while saying that he could chillingly see ‘shadows drifting past him in the distance’.

At one point, Barny ran into a venomous tasseled scorpionfish, also known as scorpaenopsis oxycephalus, which have the ability to paralyse or even kill humans.

“Super camouflaged, I barely even saw him,” the scuba diver said of the sea creature. “He is a big boy… you would not wanna get stung by him. That is one big, grumpy scorpionfish.

“Oh, and right next to him, we’ve got a surgeonfish and a parrotfish underneath this table coral. They’re just resting up, trying to avoid the sharks like me.”

The video showed Barny then head out on his second dive 24 hours later, but this time he was in search of a boat wreck as well as some interesting underwater characters.

People were left stunned when a honeycomb moray eel emerged from the wreckage (YouTube/barnydillarstone)

“I think it’s out here somewhere, but if I’m honest, it’s completely black and I’ve got no idea,” he said of the ruins. “And, I’m surrounded by stingrays.”

He found the wreckage quite quickly while seeing some ‘fantastic’ things along the way, including a ‘disco clam’, which he explained are ‘famous for their ability to produce a flashing light display’.

Things soon turned more dangerous, as Barny’s next guest really took viewers by surprise.

A honeycomb moray eel – which get their name from the black spots which cover their white-yellow body, resembling honeycomb – emerged from the skeleton of the ship which lay on the ocean floor.

These are known for being both nocturnal and solitary, as well as having a powerful bite, so it’s no wonder one took Barny by surprise when it suddenly burst out of the small crevice.

The coconut octopus showed off its bizarre skill (YouTube/barnydillarstone)

The final sea creature which stunned guests was the coconut octopus – which also has a venomous bite that can quickly paralyse its prey.

However, it was the ‘famous skill’ that the ‘fascinating species’ showed off which managed to leave people’s mouths wide open, rather than its fear factor.

These marine animals have the bizarre capability of ‘running along the bottom’ of the ocean floor, which really is a sight to behold, and even Barny remarked: “How weird!”

Viewers were left stunned by the footage, as well as being taken aback by Barny’s ‘bravery’ for heading underwater so late at night.

One commented: “You have to be really brave to do this because that is absolutely terrifying.”

Another wrote: “What a spooky video! Being down there solo at night must be a crazy experience, thanks for sharing that with us. I’d probably be freaked out half the time.”

A third added: “Diving solo? You’re game mate! Coconut octopus are cool, no doubt.”

A fourth said: “Literally all my phobias in one video.”

And a fifth chimed in: “This is astounding.”