So I've decided to take cavern/intro and there are gear requirements that include a primary and a couple of backup lights. What makes a primary light? I have a few cheap Chinese dive lights that if you believe the packaging put out 6k lumens and 10k lumens for around 120mins and longer on lower settings. Since I can't see myself staying 2 hours on sixths do these qualify? I feel like if I need more burn time I can either double up on the lights or upgrade and use these as nice backups. Any input is appreciated however I'm not entirely sold on a canister light just yet I can see the advantages but I just don't need that much fire power yet, or do I?
What qualifies as a primary light?
- Thread starter joe10540
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PfcAJ
Contributor
good lord stay away from cheap junk
you can score a used LM or Halcyon canister for a good price on the Ebay or on dive forums
buy it nice or buy it twice
you can score a used LM or Halcyon canister for a good price on the Ebay or on dive forums
buy it nice or buy it twice
It's only a cavern course. At this point he doesn't need to spend as much on a new light as the entire course will cost.
Ask your instructor what his requirements are. Usually they want at least a hard Goodman handle. Doesn't necessarily have to be a can light.
BTW, brightness is not really a criteria that determines primary vs backup.
Ask your instructor what his requirements are. Usually they want at least a hard Goodman handle. Doesn't necessarily have to be a can light.
BTW, brightness is not really a criteria that determines primary vs backup.
But what is the difference? I asked this same question recently to my original cave instructor, and he said he was beginning to ask that same question himself.
Traditional thinking, established long ago, was that you took a primary light and 2 backups. If your primary light failed, the dive was over. I gave that some thought on a cave dive a year or so ago as I prepared for the dive and looked at my light bag. I saw that I had the ability to do the dive with 4 lights, and every one was at least as good or better than the primary lights that existed when the rules were made. If my primary were to fail, I would still have the equivalent of a primary light and 2 more equivalents as backups.
Traditional thinking, established long ago, was that you took a primary light and 2 backups. If your primary light failed, the dive was over. I gave that some thought on a cave dive a year or so ago as I prepared for the dive and looked at my light bag. I saw that I had the ability to do the dive with 4 lights, and every one was at least as good or better than the primary lights that existed when the rules were made. If my primary were to fail, I would still have the equivalent of a primary light and 2 more equivalents as backups.
bamafan
Contributor
I would put not turning a dive when your primary light bites the dust in the same category as recalculating 1/3 rds. Sure it can be done but you are decreasing your margin for error.
bamafan
Contributor
A cheap light will be fine for cavern as long as you have some way to hold it hands free such as a soft or hard Goodman handle or glove. The small 1k lumen backup lights put out about the same light as a 10w hid. Just get some extra batteries and change out between the dives.
i would probably turn a dive when I'm on my last light. You should be able to see your way out of a cavern, right?
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Don't forget that if you are diving backmount, you will need something to tuck your long hose under.
I would suggest borrowing a canister light. That should be allowable. I'm signed up for fundies and will be go for a tech pass per the instructor's suggestion after diving with him once. I was going to get one on loan, but then a friend of mine was selling his LM for a screaming price, and I couldn't pass it up. When I take cave courses, I will have that canister light as my primary, but then a backup primary in my Halcyon Focus Handheld, and then two more backup lights on my strap, as I can put that backup primary in a pocket. If I'm getting trained by someone like Steve Martin, you better believe I'm going to have backups so that training can continue.
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