OP
dpspaceman
Contributor
Also planning some cavern dives that may need lights at the bottom but not near top
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Turning lights on and off under water
- Thread starter dpspaceman
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I would not use my video light as my primary penetration light. N
OP
dpspaceman
Contributor
It's not....
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
And what I am saying to you the "rule" you asked about, not turning a light on and off, is while in overhead and refers to your primary light, without which your life could be compromized. N
Craig66
Contributor
I think there are two questions he is asking. One is the rule and two is the technical aspects of turning on and off a light.
To sum: the rule is never turn off your primary light at night or in an overhead/enclosed situation.
From a technical point of view turning off a video light or non primary light imparts some small flood risk but a good quality light not unscrewed too much should not flood.
Please also at <50 dives be very aware that overhead and enclosed environments can kill and that the interpretation of what is a cavern vs a cave and what is an open wreck vs closed can be ambiguous and dangerous.
To sum: the rule is never turn off your primary light at night or in an overhead/enclosed situation.
From a technical point of view turning off a video light or non primary light imparts some small flood risk but a good quality light not unscrewed too much should not flood.
Please also at <50 dives be very aware that overhead and enclosed environments can kill and that the interpretation of what is a cavern vs a cave and what is an open wreck vs closed can be ambiguous and dangerous.
FiddlerOnTheRoof
Contributor
As an instructor and experienced wreck diver my red light went on immediately after reading your post, especially where you mention "wreck diving" and swim "troughs"!
I think it is ok for you to do wreck dives as long as you are staying within recreational wreck diving, BUT penetrating wrecks at your level is a whole different story and I think you are taking high risks that personally I don't think you are ready for... Why not take a wreck diving course first?
As for turning lights/torches on and off I think you are ok as long as you are using quality modern lights.
Remember to be SAFE, CONSERVATIVE, and always have a backup to the backup... Plan your dive and dive your plan.
OP
dpspaceman
Contributor
I think people are misunderstanding my question and why I’m asking.
Let me be clear – I don’t plan on penetrating any wreck without the proper training like most have stated above. When I say “swim through”, I’m referring to an area of a wreck or cavern that has something overhead, but at the same time is completely open. For example, at “Hog Heaven” in Fort Lauderdale, there is a portion of the wreck that looks almost like a tiki hut. It has something overhead (thus darker), but is completely open. As another example, places like Blue Grotto or Devil’s Den in Florida are open to OW divers. At a certain depth / locations, they are darker with slight overhead rocks. I would want to use lights to get better footage in these areas, but in other areas of the dive they may not be necessary.
BTW, our PADI Instructor took a group of 7 divers with ages ranges from 22 to 55 for our “Deep” dive through a hallway within a wreck – penetrating. Total swim through in this scenario was 3 minutes. It was great… curious what the forum experts say to that.
Let me be clear – I don’t plan on penetrating any wreck without the proper training like most have stated above. When I say “swim through”, I’m referring to an area of a wreck or cavern that has something overhead, but at the same time is completely open. For example, at “Hog Heaven” in Fort Lauderdale, there is a portion of the wreck that looks almost like a tiki hut. It has something overhead (thus darker), but is completely open. As another example, places like Blue Grotto or Devil’s Den in Florida are open to OW divers. At a certain depth / locations, they are darker with slight overhead rocks. I would want to use lights to get better footage in these areas, but in other areas of the dive they may not be necessary.
BTW, our PADI Instructor took a group of 7 divers with ages ranges from 22 to 55 for our “Deep” dive through a hallway within a wreck – penetrating. Total swim through in this scenario was 3 minutes. It was great… curious what the forum experts say to that.
I think a bigger issue with turning lights off is that if you drop your light while it's off, you may not be able to find it. I think you should just plan on carrying a light that you can leave on all the time for N times the duration of the dive, and have one less thing to worry about.
Craig66
Contributor
Wow !!!! Scary...a corridor within a wreck for OW divers - Hell that be the last time I would dive with that instructor.
We do understand what you are saying but we are also saying be careful. One wrong kick with stirring of silt can make what seemed like an easy swim through/cavern into a death trap.
And yes even " totally safe" swim through like the wheel house of an open wreck can have entanglement issues and can have dangers even if lack of visibility is not one of them.
OP
dpspaceman
Contributor
It was our AOW instructor, not OW class. We actually had 2 PADI instructors with us, both of which were touted as being the most experienced at this dive shop.
This dive shop is probably the highest end one in Key Largo.
This dive shop is probably the highest end one in Key Largo.
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