Lights

[tombiowami]

Howdy, new diver here and looking at light choices. I will be in quarries/60' or so with 20' vis for a while but with night dives, and then onto NC wreck diving during the daylight only. No caves, but will go down to Ginnie Springs and possibly caverns. I was basically looking at a couple of Princeton Tec 4Ccell lights as primary and backup. Do I really need anything more? And any product recommendations. Night diving won't be a primary goal but when down there would rather be safe than sorry and have some quality to start off with. Thanks.

 

[buff]

I own 2 Princeton tecs and they are very good lights. They have a VERY narrow beam-which some people like-it is so focused. I find this narrow beam a detrement when doing underwater photography-either the light is on the animal subject or off of the subject. Most animals at night don't like a lot of light shined in their faces so the Princeton tec just isn't the right light for that. I also have 2 Aqualung Luman 6-these lights are only found in Europe-but you can order them at diveinn.com. I prefer these lights-they have a braoder beam of light. I also own a UK 1200. This light is immense in its weight, watt output, and its appetite for batteries. I bought the 1200 early on and have sinced realized that I don't need to light up the whole Carribean to see a moray in front of me. The 1200 is a big light that is cumbersome. In general, I would stick to smaller lights-the idea of lots of light output is appealing but unrealistic considering the downsides i.e. weight, cumbersome, battery usage, expense, burn time.

 

[Taltoz]

I can't help with light recomendations since I have no experience myself. However, I do know that Ginnie will not let you take a light in the water unless you are a certified cave diver (and the certification has to be from a specific agency, I cannot remember which but I know they will not take PADI for example). Hope this helps.

Taltoz

 

[luvdiving]

Tom

I originally bought a head mounted Nite Rider for use with an underwater camera. It really spoiled me. Now I use it on all night and cavern dives. Don't forget a good back-up!

Ken

 

[tombiowami]

You can take them into the actual "Ginnie Spring" but some of the ones around there (Devil's) you cannot. Have not been there yet but looking forward to it in a few months.

Tommy

 

[Fishkiller]

The primary light I recomend is the Pelican NEMO a nice compact 8C that puts out a good bright beam. Sells for around 60 usd

 

[TexasMike]

My Primary light is a UK Sunlight D8 (takes 8 D-cells). And while it performs okay (best on fresh batteries) the only major downside is it's size. It weigh's 5 lbs on the bathroom scale with the batteries in, and is still "weighty" underwater.

My current plans are to save up my pennies for the UK HID Light Cannon (available with both rechargable and standard batteries). I got to handle (but not dive with) one while on the M/V Spree at the Flower Gardens in the Gulf of Mexico. Much "truer" color temperature to sunlight and very bring. And more wattage to through around.

The HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights are more expensive, but it's like buying a quality regulator: You won't regret spending the extra cash now to get the light you won't replace for a different one.

Eventually, you might want to step up to one of the canister lights. This is where the battery case and lamp head are separate (connected by power lead). These have the benefit of moving the bulky portion of the light to a spot out of the way (seen them mounted on a tank and on a weight belt) and the lamp head on the back of your hand (like the flashlight used on Star Trek Voyager). These also throw out lots of wattage and are the choice when doing technical diving such as wreck penetration and caverns/caves.

But do check out the UK light cannon. A bit more $$$ now, but worth it later.

 

[Jonathan Starr]

I just got a niterider seatorch, and it is very bright & compact. It takes 5 D cells and weighs 1.8# and is neutrally buoyant. It's 14w X 6v Halogen, and lists for $80 and I got it for much much less from Liesurepro.

They make a kit to convert it into a cannister light at a later date. It's a lot brighter than my big UKs with a better, fairly wide beam and it's half the size and nicely shaped.

Aloha,

Jonathan