Minimum Watts for HID?

Ragnar · Apr 16, 2011

After my last thread in this section I'm hesitant to even utter the word "light" here, but what is the minimum Wattage HID that would be reasonable in the real world? I'm finding it hard to throw down the cost of 2 regs on a light. What would it take to be effective during the day in open water?

Wayne at DiveSeekers · Apr 16, 2011

The standard with my students these days is a 21w HID. If you are in a team and you are the only one with a 10w HID it will be harder for the rest of the team to pick up your signals.

rongoodman · Apr 16, 2011

In clear, bright water, such as the Caribbean in the daytime, even the 21W will be hard to pick up.

Ragnar · Apr 16, 2011

Wayne at DiveSeekers:
The standard with my students these days is a 21w HID. If you are in a team and you are the only one with a 10w HID it will be harder for the rest of the team to pick up your signals.

I figured as much, thanks. What is it that make these so expensive, it will be the single most expensive piece of gear I'll have and I'm not too thrilled about it. One could buy a damn nice laptop or Tech computer for that matter for that kind of cash.....

rongoodman · Apr 16, 2011

Keep an eye on the classifieds here and over at The Deco Stop--they do turn up from time to time.

Wayne at DiveSeekers · Apr 16, 2011

Unfortunately that's the price that the manufacturer has them at. I would look at either the Halcyon or Light Monkey. Both companies are solid and stand behind their products a 110%. We have Reward Points and usually do a FREE 3c Tec B/U Light with the purchase. Feel free to contact me if you need help with this.

Halcyon Explorer Lights

Light Monkey Havoc HID Canister Light

KeesBL · Apr 16, 2011

Dive with a nice can light for awhile and then stop. You'll quickly learn why people spend so much money on them. It may be the one of the most expensive pieces of gear, but it's one of the more worthwhile bits of kit you'll get.

I will agree with the above posters that a 21w is more or less the standard. If you get a 10w, you'll probably end up buying a 21w down the line anyways.

Ragnar · Apr 17, 2011

Thanks all, 21W it is, I'll hold out for a used one for now, have a few months before it's really needed.

Gareth · Apr 18, 2011

Ragnar:
I figured as much, thanks. What is it that make these so expensive, it will be the single most expensive piece of gear I'll have and I'm not too thrilled about it. One could buy a damn nice laptop or Tech computer for that matter for that kind of cash.....

If you look at the torch as a thing for shining at fish it's hard to justify. However...

Your torch is your voice in the water. When active signalling, you can communicate everything from "hey look at this" to "I need emergency asisstance - RIGHT NOW!". It can be used for everything from signalling a desired swim direction to indicating you are ok.

When passive signalling, it's the single most effective way of staying in communication with your team and keeping them together throughout the dive.

When you look at it like that it's suddenly worth every penny / cent.

Ragnar · Apr 19, 2011

Gareth:
If you look at the torch as a thing for shining at fish it's hard to justify. However...

Your torch is your voice in the water. When active signalling, you can communicate everything from "hey look at this" to "I need emergency asisstance - RIGHT NOW!". It can be used for everything from signalling a desired swim direction to indicating you are ok.

When passive signalling, it's the single most effective way of staying in communication with your team and keeping them together throughout the dive.

When you look at it like that it's suddenly worth every penny / cent.

I'm sure it is, the problem is where I live it's highly unlikely I'll ever have a "team" of equally equipped DIR divers. It's great if you live in some population center of the world, but diving in remote locations I'd rarely if ever hit the water. I do still plan to find a light though, will make a valid attempt at GUE training....

Minimum Watts for HID?

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