advice on 21watt HID

[donnad]

ok, we're finally ready to part with the bucks for hubby to have the light of his dreams. his goal is to (on daytime dives, cause i realize 21w is too much for night dives) for example......shine it on sponges, or a coral formation or whatever, and really see the true colors down there.........hence nothing the least bit wimpy.(this will need to be THE light as it's pricey, in other words, i want him to LOVE it).......hence 21w..... but i'm wondering..............in the daytime will 21w scare away the fish/creatures? and is 21w like entirely to crazy to shine under a ledge for example to look at a lobster or such? and finally...........what has been your favorite 21w HID light? thanks!!

 

[loosebits]

I bought a Salvo 21W HID for cave diving. It's a wonderful light but you're right, it would be overkill for night diving on reefs although it is nice for deep lakes as it can really cuts through the crud in the water (not so much so you can see further but so your buddy can see you from a greater distance).

I can't see how it would be that useful during daylight diving in high visibility environments. I've not done a lot of reef diving but I don't recall colors not appearing that vibrant. If you drag a camera down there and take a snapshot, you won't have any reds but human vision has an incredible white balance algorithm. It would be great for looking under ledges I suppose but in broad daylight at recreational depths, it would be hard to even notice it I would guess.

I have no clue if it will scare the critters away but I doubt it (at least if they are in direct sunlight anyway).

And can you call my wife and talk her into getting me a scooter?

 

[Rainer]

Just took my 21W on some daylight dives to Anacapa. Reefs were in about 30-35' of water. The light was very good at pulling out colors, especially reds and oranges, that otherwise looked muted. Definitely also cleared up any dark corners. That, and it's useful for signaling, even in brightly lit waters. As for scaring the fish, some of the smaller schools would turn away from the light, but certainly wouldn't flee. Most of the larger fish (e.g. Sheephead) didn't even flinch.

 

[*Floater*]

I did not feel that my Salvo 21W was overkill during the night or day in the Philippines or Cozumel, however, some people argue that with less light they actually end up seeing more during the night.

But I think you could always reduce the intensity by covering the light head with a dimmed screen, a piece of cloth, or something that reduces the intensity to your satisfaction but not too much...

The my 21W li-ion Salvo has worked great for me. I have no experience no first hand with other can lights. My only complaint is that the light head is huge.

 

[D_O_H]

I also have a 21w Salvo and absolutely love it. It is without a doubt my favorite piece of gear and has greatly increased my enjoyment of diving. Your husband is a very lucky man to have you shopping for this for him. I had to use the old "It's just a flashlight, how much do you think it could have cost?" when my wife inquired about my purchase of one.

I use it here in northern California where our visibility can be anywhere from <5' to >50'. It does a fantastic job of lighting up and bringing the colors out in whatever it is I happen to be looking at. The murkier and deeper the water is, the more noticeable the effect. It's also very good for bringing the power of the sun to bear on various nooks and crannies and for getting my buddy's attention day or night.

I try not to point it into the eyes of anything that has eyes, as I'm sure it's not a pleasant sensation for them. This is pretty easy to do, as I use the focusable light head to keep the beam very narrow most of the time.

I use my light day or night up here. I don't usually use my light when vacationing in clear water. It would still be great for peeking into nooks and crannies, but not great enough to justify the weight in my bag and the risk of something happening to the light. I'm one of those who likes to dive with minimal light at night in clear water, so I probably wouldn't use it in clear water at night even if I did bring it along.

Good luck picking something out!

--Scott

 

[hydro12]

I've been ogling a Sartek HID that's focusable 21/13 watt - controlled by the rotary switch. 15Ah Li-Ion battery gives you about 6 total hours of burn time. It seems like the perfect way to balance needing lots of light during the day or in caves, and not wanting to scare away critters at night.

 

[loosebits]

Well, if he wants a really big HID and has no intention of doing technical diving, perhaps this may be an option: http://www.brightstar-hid.com/product_info_e.php?UID=772

Brightstar is the company that makes Salvo's bulbs.

 

[TSandM]

The really nice thing about a canister light is the Goodman handle -- having the light on the back of your hand allows you to use that hand for other things without letting go of the light.

I've taken my 21W Salvo to Hawaii and to the Caribbean, and I love it for daytime diving. It does bring the colors out, is very useful for looking under and into things, and doesn't seem to bother very much except the nocturnal fish you find in crevices. It is, in my opinion, WAY too much light for tropical night diving. Anything nocturnal is long gone before you get to it!

As someone else has already said, my Salvo is my favorite piece of dive gear, and that's saying something because a) I own a lot of dive gear and b) I really like most of it

 

[Manta]

ok, we're finally ready to part with the bucks for hubby to have the light of his dreams. his goal is to (on daytime dives, cause i realize 21w is too much for night dives) for example......shine it on sponges, or a coral formation or whatever, and really see the true colors down there.........hence nothing the least bit wimpy.(this will need to be THE light as it's pricey, in other words, i want him to LOVE it).......hence 21w..... but i'm wondering..............in the daytime will 21w scare away the fish/creatures? and is 21w like entirely to crazy to shine under a ledge for example to look at a lobster or such? and finally...........what has been your favorite 21w HID light? thanks!!

Hi Donnad,
Take a look at Green Force, www.mantaindustries.com. We offer the most versatile lighting system on the market. Our HID 21 watt uses an impact resistant bulb among other features; no on/off switch, activation is twist, triple Oring sealed, sealed battery pack (no latches to fail, you do NOT have to open the battery to charge) rated to 900 feet and it's the only canister light light made ISO certified. As far as price it is in the same range as our competitors. If you have any questions, please ask or PM me. Regarding scaring the fish life, I have not experience any issues.
Thanks - Greg

 

[diveprof]

21 watts for day or night diving (non-tech diving applications)? To each his own. Heck why not dive the I Nuke 5 mil watt "Brightest thing further than one mile from the surface of the sun - tinted mask lenses required" light.

I enjoy warm tropical day reef and wreck diving, deep freshwater lake diving, and night diving. Too much light chases off critters (Southern for disturbs the fauna) on night dives. In low vis deep lake situations with particulate matter (read silt), more light does not really translate into better vis due to the light reflecting off the particulates. The area in your immediate vacinity seems brighter, but I don't believe this equates to better vis in most cases (just more reflected light). Then again, people laugh at me when I prefer to enter the water with a 4w Princeton Tech (4AA) as my "primary" on the night dive when some have the Light Cannons. My buddy and I usually end up seeing more stuff than most on the boat. Guess what, we minimally impact the night reef environment and are not scaring off everything 100 yards before we come into contact with it, not to mention preserving our night vision. Again, to each his own. Of course, would a dive shop rather sell you a 4-10 watt light for $ or a 21 watt light for $$$....