Do you own one of those pricey, fancy HID-light systems?

[lanun]

the light cannon - it stays put in the locker mostly. bought it becuase of the bright light. then figured it's a bit too bright so on night dives it's off part of the time.

and yes, if dueling with a non-HID, my light saber cuts a pretty mean swath of ocean.

at some point i'd get me a real light saber - probably a 10W due to comment above. with a goodman, or something suitable, handle.

 

[pdoege]

Big ol Halcyon Pro 6.

No need for a weight belt and I can see really far under ledges.

V. Nice.

A bit bulky for a kayak dive though.

Peter

 

[Genesis]

I have both a Light Cannon and a Pro-4 HID on a goodman handle.

The former is my usual dive light, the latter is my night dive or wreck (inside, not looking around) light. The latter is unsuitable for a lot of the diving I do (spearfishing), but for dives where you really want to see what's what down there, its wonderful.

 

[Don Burke]

I've got a Light Cannon and I don't use it underwater anymore. I don't like the way it is focused or the seal system. It certainly throws enough light for most dives. It's also great stuff for working in attics and crawlspaces, so if it fails, I'll probably get another.

I keep telling myself I'm going to build something with a focus capability and some serious burn time to it. I may end up buying one.

Lights are under the same rules as spearguns. They don't get pointed at anything I'm will to let them hurt.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

agstreet once bubbled...

Of course, to you they're a symbol of DIR, to be ridiculed and put down with stupid polls and lame innuendo.

Is that really true? Heck, I purchased mine before I ever heard of DIR. Most of my buddies would think it truly funny to ever hear anyone accuse me of "being DIR" ...

Where I dive, in the summer the vis averages about 10 feet ... so a nice bright light helps you keep track of your dive buddy. In winter, it's dark at 3:30 PM ... so if you want to dive, chances are you're night diving. Everyone except the truly new diver carries a dive light on every dive ... and those who carry HID lights might by now be in the majority.

And to those of you who say they bother the marine critters ... are you marine biologists or something? Reason I ask is because I've done hundreds of dives with my HID light, and for the most part the critters don't seem particularly bothered by it. I routinely interact with octopus, wolf eels, ratfish, sailfin sculpins, and other typically nocturnal creatures ... and more often than not they are quite tolerant of me and my dive light. In fact, the local harbor seals love us, 'cuz that nice, bright dive light is like a dinner bell ... they use our lights to hunt for supper, and as a result will often greet us on the descent and stay with us for most of our dive.

 

[Don Burke]

NWGratefulDiver once bubbled...
And to those of you who say they bother the marine critters ... are you marine biologists or something? Reason I ask is because I've done hundreds of dives with my HID light, and for the most part the critters don't seem particularly bothered by it. I routinely interact with octopus, wolf eels, ratfish, sailfin sculpins, and other typically nocturnal creatures ... and more often than not they are quite tolerant of me and my dive light. In fact, the local harbor seals love us, 'cuz that nice, bright dive light is like a dinner bell ... they use our lights to hunt for supper, and as a result will often greet us on the descent and stay with us for most of our dive.

One of my most vivid memories of Bonaire is a big fish (looked like a Tarpon) who would follow night divers to use their lights.

 

[WJL]

I have a 10 watt HID canister light with a focusable light head on a goodman handle. I use it on all dives, not just night dives, primarily as a means of communication with my dive buddies. We normally keep the our lights focused to a narrow beam so they are more like underwater pointers than floodlights.

If you are blinding other divers with your light, you are not using it correctly. You need to point it away from your buddiies' eyes. That's one of the reasons that mounting a light on your noggin is not a very good idea - it points wherever you are looking.

 

[mars2u]

HID?

Ohhh...you mean the Underwater Volvo coming at you

Yeah...poked a little fun at one of the guys in Palau and a student during my AOW.
No, use my trusty C4 rechargeable. When I saw that the HID replacement bulb was $80...I said no thank you.

Heck that costs almost as much as a Volvo's light

 

[Uncle Pug]

Custer once bubbled...
DIR is a minimalist philosophy, leave that hunk of junk in on the boat unless you have a specific need for it.

...being the authority on DIR that you are I am surprised by your statement quoted above.

Surely you use your HID for passive as well as active communication.

 

[Cave Diver]

Custer once bubbled...


You mean the Jedi Light Cannon?

I rib my buddies about that all the time.

I tell them I want to observe undersea life not cook it.

I make cracks about the humming noise, and changing the dylithium crystals.

I think that those things are grossly inconsiderate to undersea species whos eyes certainly can't handle that light, and to fellow divers, who don't want to.

DIR is a minimalist philosophy, leave that hunk of junk in on the boat unless you have a specific need for it.

It's only grossly inconsiderate if the person operating it chooses it to be. There is never a need to point any kind of light into the eyes of anyone or anything.

DIR actually advocates the use of it, as it becomes a passive sort of communication and effectively keeps buddy teams together.

And you can add my name to the list of the light sabre wielding jedi knights on the dark side.