Night dive etiquette: Flood vs Spot

[Rafael Moreira]

Hello everyone, I did some research and couldn’t find an answer so would like to bring this topic and get your thoughts.

I’ve been using flood lights (BigBlue) in my night dives, normally I stay in the bottom of the group to avoid hit them with the lights, but I started to think that I could be bothering the group.
The people never complain about it, but maybe because they are very nice… I’m planning to start using a spotlight (Dx2) in my next vacation trip…

What would be the night dive etiquette and things to avoid in your opinion…

Appreciate any suggestions

thank You,

 

[Moerae]

Ask the people you're diving with, before the dive. Heck, you might find that some people would find it cool to have a big bright flood light. Buddy with them.

Personally, I'd just make sure when you do the flood light it's on the dimmest setting if people are around and looking in the same general area as you. If you want to flood a million lumen at a whole section of the reef, stay some distance from the group. Biggest thing is just avoiding ruining people's night vision.

A cool experience that might change your mind a bit on brightness settings underwater (at least in good viz): Do the first 10 minutes of a night dive, just you and a buddy or two away from any groups, without any lights on. You'll be shocked at how much you can see, and how many things are only barely bioluminescent that you'd never notice with lights.

Then when you turn on your spot on the lowest setting you'll feel like the sun came out. IMO preserving night vision with the dimmest setting actually leads to "seeing" more than using bright lights.

 

[1Cave Ghost]

As long as people don't shine the light in my face. They can use any light they want, no one I know has complained about having too much light on a dive.

 

[broncobowsher]

I did a dive with someone who borrowed a flood 'video' light. In general it sucked. Wasn't overly blinding, it was just an annoying spot of light. I'll also say they didn't really see anything. The light didn't have any range. Anything more than about 3' away and there was nothing to be seen. There was also no communication. Didn't matter how they tried to signal with the light, it was just a shiny spot of light. There is a reason dive lights are spot lights.

 

[CrowBar]

Night dives I bring two spots and one video/flood light. I only use the video/flood light for, well, video or pics with my gopro. It also acts as my second backup or to let a "buddy" borrow if for some strange reason they don't have a backup. If you have two lights go out on a dive, you are ending the dive anyways, so it would typically only be used on the the way back and up as you've already cancelled the dive. Basically, if you are down to only one light source, you should already be turning the dive to end as soon as possible so a flood would be ok, but no ideal. All that being said, I'd think it would be fine for a typical recreational dive, but it still makes me wonder why you are doing a night dive with only one light source available.

 

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

Night diving lights ... one is none, two is one, 3, you have a backup. My primary is a Sola 1200, which I can toggle between flood and spot. I have a Gobe 1000, which came with a flood lens. At night, I switch the flood lens for a red spot lens, although sometimes, I put in the L&M UV Nightsea lens. In my drysuit pocket, is a Gobe 800, with a spot lens. That one is my back up white light, when I have the red or UV lens in my 1000. Both my Sola and my Gobe 1000, I have on the Light and Motion, soft Goodman Handles. I have done night dives, where I never turn on a white light, and only use the red lens. It works best, when there are no other white lights in the area, and does not spook critters. This option usually works best when I am solo diving, as there is no light, coming from a buddy. Sure is nice, 100' down and the only light, is my red light.

 

[rongoodman]

The most annoying thing I see people do on night dives is frantically waving their lights around, creating what appears to be a non-stop series of distress signals.

 

[GF99/99]

The most annoying thing I see people do on night dives is frantically waving their lights around, creating what appears to be a non-stop series of distress signals.

OMG this bugs me so much. I almost want to rip the light out of there hands unscrew the cap and flood it. I think this should be some kind of unwritten divers rule

I'm a fairly active deep technical & cave diver so i would say 90% of my diving is with full power canister lights and all my diving buddies with lights too so I might a little spoiled since my normal dive buddies have proper light etiquette and that is what I am use to.

Then occasionally when I go on recreational Liveaboard trips and participate in the night dives sometimes I feel like I am at a disco strobe light show. Its crazy how horrible some divers are at using a light, such a simple concept but it gets screwed up so easy. My favorite is when they have one of those stupid wrist lanyards and hang the light from there wrist and then flop and wave there arms all over the place causing the light to act like a disco ball because they have no clue how to fin properly so they have to doggy paddle underwater to hold there buoyance or stop themselves from moving (there is a thing called fins strapped to your feet and they work great for propelling you underwater; forward, backward, and turning, and then there is a thing call a wing/BCD and it is used to adjust your buoyance so you can remain perfectly neutral so you do not need to flail around with your hands and feed to keep your self from going up and down)

I wish someone could explain to others that when you have a light in your hands and you flop, flail, and wave your arms around like an idiot the light goes with your hand and the LED Li-Ion lights these days are bright as f**k and its not very pleasant to the eye when its almost pitch black out.

Sorry to rant this just bugs me so much and really ruins a night dive.

But anyways back to the original post. I use a 10,000lum 120* video light for brief video or photos and a regular 4800lum 6* for everything else. Never had anyone complain about the wide beam video. But then again I am not spinning it around like a rodeo lasso and shinning it in everyone's faces.

 

[happy-diver]

A lot I will do night dives without a light, if I have a light, my hand is covering the beam
so as not to blind mess the entire ocean and its creatures up wth all the other dickheads

 

[Divin'Papaw]

The most annoying thing I see people do on night dives is frantically waving their lights around, creating what appears to be a non-stop series of distress signals.

Disco diving