Craig66
Contributor
Just returned back from a live aboard in Belize where I had a chance to dive with my homemade fluorescent dive light and had the most amazing results.
First off thanks to the great help and advice of Glowdiver I was able to make what I feel was the perfect light. I had available a 1000, a 500 and a 250 lumen lights. I used a Rosco's Permacolor Dichroic Filter #34600 Medium Red Blue Stage lighting filter. from B&H ( $7 special order and can't take a couple of weeks to arrive). I combined it with all three of my lights and found that no matter which of the lights I used I was getting a lot of overpowering of the white light especially in the central spots. I then added two Rosco lens and this was perfect. When attached to my 1000 lumen DRIS light It gave off an amazing blue and without any real overpowering hot spots. (2 filters including S&H = $20). I secured the filters onto my light with a electrical insulating tape.
I then made a yellow cover for my mask. I drew an outline on a yellow plexiglass sheet and using fire and a running tap was able to direct the flame in the areas I needed it and so I had a perfect outline of my mask. Drilled two holes on each side and using zip ties and an old mask strap made the perfect over the mask filter mask ($10 on ebay)
The only downside to my set up was the need for a second light as my filter would stay attached through the whole dive - which was not an issue for me.
Underwater it was phenomenal. Without the mask I had a good light source although all was blue. With the filter on it was almost pitch black except for the most amazing vibrant fluorescent corals that stood out amazingly. It was really an amazing experience.
SO where the disappointment. Unfortunately where we were diving the only real organisms that had significant fluorescence was the corals and while it was beautiful it was a little disappointing. I did get some fluorescence on the spots of a lion fish and a lizard fish/sand diver and a few spots on the urchins but aside from that did not see much else. The live aboard we were on actually had a sola night sea and my results were as good so I do not feel it was due to lack of a good functioning light in the correct spectrum although it is certainly probable that a light in a different spectrum might have seen other things.
Definitely worth doing if only once to get an idea of what is down there in the fluorescent band.
Craig
First off thanks to the great help and advice of Glowdiver I was able to make what I feel was the perfect light. I had available a 1000, a 500 and a 250 lumen lights. I used a Rosco's Permacolor Dichroic Filter #34600 Medium Red Blue Stage lighting filter. from B&H ( $7 special order and can't take a couple of weeks to arrive). I combined it with all three of my lights and found that no matter which of the lights I used I was getting a lot of overpowering of the white light especially in the central spots. I then added two Rosco lens and this was perfect. When attached to my 1000 lumen DRIS light It gave off an amazing blue and without any real overpowering hot spots. (2 filters including S&H = $20). I secured the filters onto my light with a electrical insulating tape.
I then made a yellow cover for my mask. I drew an outline on a yellow plexiglass sheet and using fire and a running tap was able to direct the flame in the areas I needed it and so I had a perfect outline of my mask. Drilled two holes on each side and using zip ties and an old mask strap made the perfect over the mask filter mask ($10 on ebay)
The only downside to my set up was the need for a second light as my filter would stay attached through the whole dive - which was not an issue for me.
Underwater it was phenomenal. Without the mask I had a good light source although all was blue. With the filter on it was almost pitch black except for the most amazing vibrant fluorescent corals that stood out amazingly. It was really an amazing experience.
SO where the disappointment. Unfortunately where we were diving the only real organisms that had significant fluorescence was the corals and while it was beautiful it was a little disappointing. I did get some fluorescence on the spots of a lion fish and a lizard fish/sand diver and a few spots on the urchins but aside from that did not see much else. The live aboard we were on actually had a sola night sea and my results were as good so I do not feel it was due to lack of a good functioning light in the correct spectrum although it is certainly probable that a light in a different spectrum might have seen other things.
Definitely worth doing if only once to get an idea of what is down there in the fluorescent band.
Craig
