havnmonkey
Contributor
check the moon phase... my night dives in Roatan had no moon, and slightly overcast. It was pitch black underwater.
Bonaire night dive light suggestions?
- Thread starter drrich2
- Start date
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Spike_Digger
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drrich2:
I had the same concerns as you before I did my first night dive. What if my light goes out, what if I get disoriented in the darkness, what if.... At my buddy's encouragement, I went on my first night dive, and I was immediately hooked. Not the least bit frightening, and extremely fun! It's unbelievable how much there is to see at night!
For your first night dive, pick a shallow dive, and go when there are other divers in the water. With all the lights shining on the reef, you won't feel the least bit disoriented. You should get some kind of small light to hang on your tank, so your buddy can easily find you in the dark. The blinking ones are nice, because they really stand out. You won't need a lightsaber to see in the dark. A small hand-held light like others have mentioned will do just fine.
We were north of the turn-around zone on the coast road. We stopped at Ole Blue and did a late afternoon dive. Some of the folks who work the main desk at Buddy Dive were picnicking with their families.
After a sunset that brought tears to our eyes we decided to do a night dive. We saw a huge spiney lobster and an even bigger slipper lobster. Then a loggerhead turtle about four feet across swam with us for a little bit. All the creatures of the reef seemed to be curious as to who these folks were - they all came out to meet us.
Since we were north of the turn-around we had to go through Rincon to get back to the hotel. Everyone in the bunch was thirsty and hungry. We pooled our resources and came up with thrity dollars US. We stopped at the Rose Inn in Rincon. Jan was still alive then and his wife Malfena had already closed the kitchen.
We threw the thirty dollars on the table and told Jan to give us Polar until the money ran out. Malfena went to the Barbecue place down the street and got us some Barbecue goat and some french fries. We sat and talked, drank, and ate until Jan finally said - OK money gone. Then he added a few Polars for good measure. We talked to our friends and learned how and when they met - saw pictures of their grandchildren - and made lasting memories. You see that was in March and Jan passed away a few months later.
On the way back to Kralendijk - our minds still full of wonder and buzzing a little from the Polar - decided to detour through Seru Lagu. We sat at the feet of the Virgin Mary and had a few more Polars as we watched the island lights. Trying to figure out what light was what. Every once in a while we could make out the Williamstoren Lighthouse at the southern tip of the island. The resort at Sorbonne and the airport were of course obvious. A donkey told his woeful tale in the distance and bats swooped past our heads.
Then it happened - a meteor shower - Gosh when I think of it goosebumps adorn my body. What a magnificent end to a magnificent day.
After a sunset that brought tears to our eyes we decided to do a night dive. We saw a huge spiney lobster and an even bigger slipper lobster. Then a loggerhead turtle about four feet across swam with us for a little bit. All the creatures of the reef seemed to be curious as to who these folks were - they all came out to meet us.
Since we were north of the turn-around we had to go through Rincon to get back to the hotel. Everyone in the bunch was thirsty and hungry. We pooled our resources and came up with thrity dollars US. We stopped at the Rose Inn in Rincon. Jan was still alive then and his wife Malfena had already closed the kitchen.
We threw the thirty dollars on the table and told Jan to give us Polar until the money ran out. Malfena went to the Barbecue place down the street and got us some Barbecue goat and some french fries. We sat and talked, drank, and ate until Jan finally said - OK money gone. Then he added a few Polars for good measure. We talked to our friends and learned how and when they met - saw pictures of their grandchildren - and made lasting memories. You see that was in March and Jan passed away a few months later.
On the way back to Kralendijk - our minds still full of wonder and buzzing a little from the Polar - decided to detour through Seru Lagu. We sat at the feet of the Virgin Mary and had a few more Polars as we watched the island lights. Trying to figure out what light was what. Every once in a while we could make out the Williamstoren Lighthouse at the southern tip of the island. The resort at Sorbonne and the airport were of course obvious. A donkey told his woeful tale in the distance and bats swooped past our heads.
Then it happened - a meteor shower - Gosh when I think of it goosebumps adorn my body. What a magnificent end to a magnificent day.
Rainer
Contributor
Anyone using can lights for night dives in Bonaire? Thoughts? I'll be doing the day dives with my 21W, but wonder if I'd be better off just using one of my 3C backups for the night dives.
Bleep #@!@!!! you Tom , if that does not set off a bad case of PBD nothing will.
You do know about the short cut just past Karpata dont you??
You do know about the short cut just past Karpata dont you??
I do know of the short cut at the bicycle rock that goes up to the radio station and back down the hill. The road I think is called Mai-Mai (in the middle). However, one important point is that there are no beer joints on Mai-Mai Road.
TT
TT
bperrybap
Contributor
(See Very bottom for recommendations)
A couple of other things to consider.
For me there is certain level of light needed and then there
is a level just above that where I'm wanting even more.
In otherwords, once you exceed a certain amount of light
your eyes won't dilate and then you need alot more light.
My goal is to stay just below that point.
Think about it. Its supposed to be a "night dive"
not a day dive at night.
When I dove in Bonaire, small lights that some would consider
as "backup" lights were all that I saw most people diving.
i.e. IkeLite PCA, UK q40 eLED, UK SL4/SL6 etc...
BTW, many of the dive shops rent out the UK SL4 or UK SL6
lights.
(I was nervous like you at first. It was also our first night dive)
I started off with a borrowed UK D8 monster of a light.
Turned it off after the first minute and didn't use it on the
remainder of the dives. I used my UK Q40 eLED+, and my
wife used her IkeLite PCa.
Here are some other things to consider:
- Beam pattern. Some lights have a narrow beam and some
have a wide pattern. The difference underwater is dramatic.
The closer you are to things the less this matters but for
pointing things out to your buddy or being able to see
things at a distance, having a narrow beam is nice.
IkeLite PCa has a great narrow beam. The UK LED lights
tended to have a narrower beam than the Princenton Tec
LED lights.
- Bulb life. Some bulbs can break/burn-out if the light is
dropped when it is on. LED lights don't have this problem.
LEDs don't have a filiment to go bad or break. This means an
LED light is less prone to bulb failure.
- Day use.
Do you plan to use your light during the day? Some times
its nice to have a light to peek underneath an overhang.
In my experience the LED lights aren't quite as good at this.
- Form factor.
Do you want a pistol grip or a more traditional flashlight
style. More traditional style lights are eaiser to clip to or store in
in your BC pocket if the light is to be used during day as well.
Something like the UK SL4/SL6 or UK SL4 eLED are nice
because they can be tucked into pocket or clipped on.
- power switch.
Some lights have actual switches and some twist on.
Some of the switches have locks on them to prevent accidental
turn on, either on the dive in your BC pocket or in your luggage
while traveling.
Some folks hate the twist on lights because they can't remember
which way to twist them. (turn it wrong and you flood the light).
This may sound obvious but the ever popular MagLite which
many people are use to, turns backwards from the scuba twist
on lights, so people that are used to MagLites end up flooding
their scuba lights. Most scuba lights turn on by screwing in
the light (clockwise). My wife can never remember so she
just hands me the light.
- Light Color.
Different lights are slightly different color tones underwater.
This affects how things look. The LED lights tend to be
whiter or slightly blue tinted, while the incandescent bulbs
tend to have a slightly yellower tone. My wife preferes the
the color tone of the incandescent lights.
- Some lights burn up if used above the surface for more
than a few minutes. The IkeLite PCa being one in particular.
This light will melt the reflector around the bulb if used
for more than a few minutes while not in water. This can
be important if your night dive involves a moderate to long
walk and shore entry. LED lights tend to not have this issue.
- Battery life. Some lights are great lights but really
suck down on the batteries. The IkeLite PCa being one
in particular. (~1 hour = 6AA batteries)
LED lights will usually have enough battery life to last through a
typical dive vacation with night dives every night with a
single set of batteries. So do many of the C battery based
non LED lights.
- C4 vs C8 lights.
Most of the C4 lights are the same bulbs/LED as the the C8
big brother. The brightness and beam is exactly the same.
The difference is battery life; C8 is usually double the C4.
C4 lights typically have enough battery life for
the typical 1 week dive trip with night dives every night.
- Rechargeable batteries?
Some come with rechargeable batteries, some support
AA, or C rechargeables and some are not recommended
for use with rechargeables. The Ikelite PCa being one that
is not recommended for rechargeables. (Ikelite recommends
using ordinary AA batteries) The PCa REALLY sucks
on the batteries. When NiMh batteries get low, they give off
hydrogen. My wifes PCa exploded underwater during a dive.
You can use rechargeables on a PCa but you have to make
sure you don't allow the batteries to get low during the dive
- To me, its too hard to tell when the batteries are getting low.
Some have special circuitry for rechargeables. The UK LED
lights go into a low power/dim mode as the batteries weaken
to help preserve the battery and avoid the hydrogen gas
issue for NiMh batteries or Memory issues for NiCads.
This circuitry also ensures brightness remains constant
through 90% of the battery life rather than diming
as the batteries drain.
----------------------------------------------------------
So me personally, I like the LED lights because I never have
to worry about bulbs going out. My wife loves her IkeLite PCa.
I have a PrincetonTec C4 Miniwave and UK Q40 eLED+.
She has a IkeLite PCa and a UK Q40 eLED+.
She brings 30 AA batteries for a 1 week trip and a spare bulb.
I bring 4 C batteries and 4AA batteries and my batteries
last the entire trip.
On a long night dive, ~1 hour+, she has to switch to her LED backup
light.
While my C4 Miniwave has a high/low beam setting. I never
use the high beam. In fact I wish it had a lower low beam.
The Minewave beam pattern is pretty wide. In fact, sometimes
it is difficult to point out small things/creatures to my wife
because there is no spot or hotspot to the light.
I have noticed that the UK lights have a tighter/narrower beam
than the Princeton Tec lights (1 LED vs 3 LED) even though
the brightness is comparable.
I used to think rechargeables or a rechargeable light was the
way to go, but for our type of diving (1 week trips, with ~5
night dives) I think a light with good battery life is better
than having to lug a charger and all the issues that go along
with rechargeables.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If I were in your situation and
buying stuff today here is what I'd look at:
Since, you don't really know if you like night dives,
I wouldn't spend a ton of money right off the bat since
you can get some really nice lights for some reasonable costs.
It is probabaly better to buy a UK SL4/SL6 rather than
rent a light since they are usually the lights rented anyway
and the rental cost for a few nights is usually about the same
as buying one since they are so inexpensive to buy.
You can get a great complete setup for ~$50-100
including a primary AND a backup.
~25-$70 if all you want/need is a primary.
For non LED, look at
UK SL4, UK SL6, and IkeLite series.
For LED look at
UK SL4 eLED, UK C4 eLED, PrincetonTec C4 Miniwave LED.
For Backup look at:
UK Q40 eLED+
------------------
--- bill
A couple of other things to consider.
For me there is certain level of light needed and then there
is a level just above that where I'm wanting even more.
In otherwords, once you exceed a certain amount of light
your eyes won't dilate and then you need alot more light.
My goal is to stay just below that point.
Think about it. Its supposed to be a "night dive"
not a day dive at night.
When I dove in Bonaire, small lights that some would consider
as "backup" lights were all that I saw most people diving.
i.e. IkeLite PCA, UK q40 eLED, UK SL4/SL6 etc...
BTW, many of the dive shops rent out the UK SL4 or UK SL6
lights.
(I was nervous like you at first. It was also our first night dive)
I started off with a borrowed UK D8 monster of a light.
Turned it off after the first minute and didn't use it on the
remainder of the dives. I used my UK Q40 eLED+, and my
wife used her IkeLite PCa.
Here are some other things to consider:
- Beam pattern. Some lights have a narrow beam and some
have a wide pattern. The difference underwater is dramatic.
The closer you are to things the less this matters but for
pointing things out to your buddy or being able to see
things at a distance, having a narrow beam is nice.
IkeLite PCa has a great narrow beam. The UK LED lights
tended to have a narrower beam than the Princenton Tec
LED lights.
- Bulb life. Some bulbs can break/burn-out if the light is
dropped when it is on. LED lights don't have this problem.
LEDs don't have a filiment to go bad or break. This means an
LED light is less prone to bulb failure.
- Day use.
Do you plan to use your light during the day? Some times
its nice to have a light to peek underneath an overhang.
In my experience the LED lights aren't quite as good at this.
- Form factor.
Do you want a pistol grip or a more traditional flashlight
style. More traditional style lights are eaiser to clip to or store in
in your BC pocket if the light is to be used during day as well.
Something like the UK SL4/SL6 or UK SL4 eLED are nice
because they can be tucked into pocket or clipped on.
- power switch.
Some lights have actual switches and some twist on.
Some of the switches have locks on them to prevent accidental
turn on, either on the dive in your BC pocket or in your luggage
while traveling.
Some folks hate the twist on lights because they can't remember
which way to twist them. (turn it wrong and you flood the light).
This may sound obvious but the ever popular MagLite which
many people are use to, turns backwards from the scuba twist
on lights, so people that are used to MagLites end up flooding
their scuba lights. Most scuba lights turn on by screwing in
the light (clockwise). My wife can never remember so she
just hands me the light.
- Light Color.
Different lights are slightly different color tones underwater.
This affects how things look. The LED lights tend to be
whiter or slightly blue tinted, while the incandescent bulbs
tend to have a slightly yellower tone. My wife preferes the
the color tone of the incandescent lights.
- Some lights burn up if used above the surface for more
than a few minutes. The IkeLite PCa being one in particular.
This light will melt the reflector around the bulb if used
for more than a few minutes while not in water. This can
be important if your night dive involves a moderate to long
walk and shore entry. LED lights tend to not have this issue.
- Battery life. Some lights are great lights but really
suck down on the batteries. The IkeLite PCa being one
in particular. (~1 hour = 6AA batteries)
LED lights will usually have enough battery life to last through a
typical dive vacation with night dives every night with a
single set of batteries. So do many of the C battery based
non LED lights.
- C4 vs C8 lights.
Most of the C4 lights are the same bulbs/LED as the the C8
big brother. The brightness and beam is exactly the same.
The difference is battery life; C8 is usually double the C4.
C4 lights typically have enough battery life for
the typical 1 week dive trip with night dives every night.
- Rechargeable batteries?
Some come with rechargeable batteries, some support
AA, or C rechargeables and some are not recommended
for use with rechargeables. The Ikelite PCa being one that
is not recommended for rechargeables. (Ikelite recommends
using ordinary AA batteries) The PCa REALLY sucks
on the batteries. When NiMh batteries get low, they give off
hydrogen. My wifes PCa exploded underwater during a dive.
You can use rechargeables on a PCa but you have to make
sure you don't allow the batteries to get low during the dive
- To me, its too hard to tell when the batteries are getting low.
Some have special circuitry for rechargeables. The UK LED
lights go into a low power/dim mode as the batteries weaken
to help preserve the battery and avoid the hydrogen gas
issue for NiMh batteries or Memory issues for NiCads.
This circuitry also ensures brightness remains constant
through 90% of the battery life rather than diming
as the batteries drain.
----------------------------------------------------------
So me personally, I like the LED lights because I never have
to worry about bulbs going out. My wife loves her IkeLite PCa.
I have a PrincetonTec C4 Miniwave and UK Q40 eLED+.
She has a IkeLite PCa and a UK Q40 eLED+.
She brings 30 AA batteries for a 1 week trip and a spare bulb.
I bring 4 C batteries and 4AA batteries and my batteries
last the entire trip.
On a long night dive, ~1 hour+, she has to switch to her LED backup
light.
While my C4 Miniwave has a high/low beam setting. I never
use the high beam. In fact I wish it had a lower low beam.
The Minewave beam pattern is pretty wide. In fact, sometimes
it is difficult to point out small things/creatures to my wife
because there is no spot or hotspot to the light.
I have noticed that the UK lights have a tighter/narrower beam
than the Princeton Tec lights (1 LED vs 3 LED) even though
the brightness is comparable.
I used to think rechargeables or a rechargeable light was the
way to go, but for our type of diving (1 week trips, with ~5
night dives) I think a light with good battery life is better
than having to lug a charger and all the issues that go along
with rechargeables.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If I were in your situation and
buying stuff today here is what I'd look at:
Since, you don't really know if you like night dives,
I wouldn't spend a ton of money right off the bat since
you can get some really nice lights for some reasonable costs.
It is probabaly better to buy a UK SL4/SL6 rather than
rent a light since they are usually the lights rented anyway
and the rental cost for a few nights is usually about the same
as buying one since they are so inexpensive to buy.
You can get a great complete setup for ~$50-100
including a primary AND a backup.
~25-$70 if all you want/need is a primary.
For non LED, look at
UK SL4, UK SL6, and IkeLite series.
For LED look at
UK SL4 eLED, UK C4 eLED, PrincetonTec C4 Miniwave LED.
For Backup look at:
UK Q40 eLED+
------------------
--- bill
Hi Richard,
Good to see you're studying up for our Bonaire trip. You'll need at least 2 lights, your primary and a backup, and maybe a marker light. Please don't buy one of those strobe tank lights that flash.
I use the small Prinston tec 400 as my back up $25, and a larger 8 battery light for my primary. I may leave the large one at home this trip and bring another small light. Any light that works will be fine. Most nice big lights will cost you about $80. The LED ones are nice too, smaller and use less bateries. Bring your bateries back the USA with you. Don't leave them in the trash on Bonaire.
Good to see you're studying up for our Bonaire trip. You'll need at least 2 lights, your primary and a backup, and maybe a marker light. Please don't buy one of those strobe tank lights that flash.
I use the small Prinston tec 400 as my back up $25, and a larger 8 battery light for my primary. I may leave the large one at home this trip and bring another small light. Any light that works will be fine. Most nice big lights will cost you about $80. The LED ones are nice too, smaller and use less bateries. Bring your bateries back the USA with you. Don't leave them in the trash on Bonaire.
Bonaire here we come!
Youch! 21w cans are great for SoCal or the Northeast, and other cold water dive locations with iffy vis, but I think you'd be pushing things with even a 10w can in warm clear water like Bonaire.Rainer:
I'd go for any full size decent LED-based light. Some like really little lights, other prefer a bigger light. I like a bigger light. But in really nice water conditions, something that barely cuts the mustard at home is like a nuclear bomb. I'm going to Jamaica in about a week, and trying to decide whether to bring my UK Light Canon or pick up a smaller light. (My Mini Q40 eLED is a hair too small for my tastes, but something in between would do nicely)
Your 3C backup will probably be fine.
under water
Contributor
ParrotIsalandDivers-com:
Looks like We'll be down there at the same time you are. 3/1 - 3/8.
You may recognize us as the two divers with the flashing red tank lights:furious:
I guess they are annoying ? I didnt know it was flashing until they were delivered.
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