Secondary dive light - advice?

[Nikole]

What should I look for when buying a secondary dive light for *night dives*??? As far as lumens go. Should it be just as bright? Any other tips?

 

[stuartv]

I would look for 2 things:

- a narrow beam (6 - 10 degree beam angle). Narrow beams are good for signalling. Wide beams are all but useless (EDIT: for signalling!). Using your light for signalling at night is an important function.

- adjustable brightness. A lot of the time you won't want it to be super bright, as that can scare or annoy the critters.

My favorite for all my diving is the Xtar D26. They are about $63 on eBay (plus the cost of a battery or two and a charger). They have a nice, narrow beam. They have adjustable brightness. They are super bright, when in High or Turbo modes. A single charge should easily last 2 dives on High.

Update: They are even less expensive now! $55 for just the light.

Xtar D26 L2 U3 1100 Lumens Diving LED Flashlight -- Simple Kit | eBay

Or $75 for a kit with battery and charger.

Xtar D26 L2 U3 1100 Lumens Diving LED Flashlight Full Set w/Charger and Battery | eBay

That battery and charger are not great, so I would get the light by itself and buy some Soshine 5500mAh 26650 batteries and an Xtar charger.

2 batteries for $15
Soshine 2pcs 26650 3.7V 5500mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Battery PCB Protected U5R9 | eBay

Charger for $23
XTAR VC4 USB Charger Li-ion/Ni-MH 18650 26650 AA AAA + USB Wall & Car plug

Alternative: Charger/tester for $90, and worth the investment, in my book
XTAR DRAGON VP4 PLUS PREMIUM Li-ion/Ni-MH LCD Charger

 

[Damselfish]

Where will you be using it, and what do you have already?

(Wide beams are not useless, it depends where you're diving and what you're doing with it.)

 

[Doctorfish]

For a secondary light rather than a primary, I just look for cheap and fit into my BC pocket.

 

[RonMurray]

For secondary lighting I just want a light to allow me to end the dive safely. That is different for on a 30' foot reef or inside the Hydro Atlantic. But double-duty as supplemental lighting is a nice bonus. I have found the 220 Lumen Dorcy lights to fit the bill nicely for me. Sometimes carry two as backup to my Dive Rite primary. Nearly always have one attached to my shoulder strap. $75 retail, but I have found them for as little as $40 I believe.

 

[Lorenzoid]

For night dives on a reef, I just carry two identical lights, one in my hand, the other clipped off as a backup. I find it easier to deal with one type of battery (and charger), one type of spare o-ring, etc. Any of the lights others have mentioned so far is more than bright enough for almost any diving. Also, if you're interested in observing shy marine life, I suppose there is such a thing as TOO bright. No need for a super-powerful beam just to meander over a reef.

Obviously, if you're talking wrecks or poor vis, or something like that, there are different considerations for primary and backup lights.

 

[fmerkel]

Cheap, sure, but not unreliable. You want it to work when you need it.

 

[Nikole]

Where will you be using it, and what do you have already?

(Wide beams are not useless, it depends where you're diving and what you're doing with it.)

I'll be using it on a spring dive (at night) and when I go to Bonaire in 4 weeks, I'll need it there too. I'm open water on I won't be needing it for shipwrecks, etc... Just as a backup, for when the primary fails. My shop did offer a night dive course by itself (instead of taking it with the advanced course) but I didn't get to sign up, and the next one isn't until after my trip.

 

[Lorenzoid]

What are you using now for your primary light? Unless it's some kind of huge unwieldy thing or super-expensive, why not just get another one of those for backup?

 

[Nikole]

Where will you be using it, and what do you have already?

(Wide beams are not useless, it depends where you're diving and what you're doing with it.)

What do I have already?
I don't know the name of my primary, it came with my dive computer as a holiday bundle package.(Divers Supply)
It's 1000 lumens, narrow angle and needs D batteries. Burn time isn't long, I think 2hrs.