Diving light recommendations

[Tigerpaw]

Agreed. The lights favored by cave divers are complete overkill for rec dives unless you are diving in areas with very low viz. I have a pair of the type of lights recommended by @inquisit and I rarely use the max brightness setting in tropical water. It's too bright and scares the fish away.

Something like these are great (same manufacturer, slightly different setups). Even the cave divers will use them as a final backup.

1000 Lumens Dive Light

The MAKO Spearguns 1000 Dive Light delivers a HUGE 1000 Lumens with 70 degree projection and 8 degree center beam. Rated to a depth of 150 meters.

makospearguns.com

DGX Gears 600 BUTTON Handheld Light

Multi-function with HIGH - LOW - STROBE light offering 600 lumens and depth rated below 300 feet, the DGX 600 BUTTON Handheld Light features a true out-the-front 600 system lumens (1100+ raw LED lumens) of cool white 6500°K light in a tight 8° beam.

www.divegearexpress.com

Ah scattering away the sea life, I didn't consider that. Thank you.

 

[Tigerpaw]

I think you need to describe your diving plans more - like where? What’s the viz like? A night diving class is not necessarily a big deal as far as lights go. Cavern - is that the start of a serious path, or do you just want to do a basic cavern class?

People often start out thinking brighter is better, but that’s not always the case and it can be a negative. Or at the very least a waste of money when you discover you only use your very expensive (and hopefully dimmable) light at it’s lowest setting. Sometimes it makes sense for main lights now to become backups later. Beam angle is also an important consideration.

Ah great points. As a new diver I'm now working on getting gear that I need for dives. From my classes and discussion with others, I learned that I need to have a main light and a backup light. With it being my goal to do Night and Cavern next year, doing the research now seemed like a good ideal. For now I'm only planning on exploring basic caverns oh and I also plan on doing more wreck diving. So for now a good reliable beginner light would suffice. I may end up with multiple lights as the years go by but a solid good light is what I'm looking for. I also discovered it needs to have wide beam and from the replies I've received so far seem to indicate that 2000 lumens is too bright.
Thanks!!!

 

[inquis]

I also discovered it needs to have wide beam

Actually, it should have a narrowish beam, under 10 degrees. Light signals are how you communicate with other divers. There's plenty of spillover outside the main spot to illuminate the surrounding area.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

Normal light, want to stay as streamlined as possible.

Orca torch D530

 

[Damselfish]

Actually, it should have a narrowish beam, under 10 degrees. Light signals are how you communicate with other divers. There's plenty of spillover outside the main spot to illuminate the surrounding area.

Well no, it depends. Some environments (esp clear water) a wide beam with the lums spread out is often more useful, and is fine for signaling with. Some environments a narrow beam is better (crap viz, or maybe peeking into holes in the daytime when something softer will get washed out.) I like to have both.

There may be spillover from a narrow beam, but if there were critters in the spot they’re not happy. And if you’re looking for things, narrower than necessary makes finding things harder.

 

[lowwall]

Let's define what we mean by wide and narrow. To me, wide means video lights with at least a 60 degree spread. These are not useful as a primary light.

Primary lights can be anywhere from 6 to maybe 20 degrees. The tighter spreads are good for looking into dark crevices when your eyes are adjusted for daylight, cutting through particulates, and signaling a buddy who is too far away. The wider spread is a little nicer for just looking around in the dark in clear water. But even the tight beams do have an outer spread that illuminates a larger area, so I think most divers prefer them for their greater usability in reduced visibility conditions.

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

Achim S of ISE uses three of the most basic twist version of this torch mounted together in a Goodman handle as his primary and backup on most of his technical dives.

Twist locks don't always work at depth. Don't carry all your eggs in one basket.

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

On the reverse I had and UWLD piezo button issue on an 1.5 month long cave exploration trip in the middle of BFN jungle in Indonesia and Bobby FedEx expressed me a new head all the way to Indonesia no questions ask. I would compare UWLD customer service to Shearwater

And how much did you pay to customs?

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

Ah scattering away the sea life, I didn't consider that. Thank you.

He also didn't consider scattering Trigger fish when they attack. Use your bright light.

 

[OrcaTorch-Amazon Seller]

I'm now in the process of getting misc diving gear, just bought a DSMB and now I'm turning my attention over to lights. I plan on doing Caverns and Night certifications next year and wanted to start my research earlier. I'm looking for a light that's at least 2000 lum. So far I've discovered that:

Orcatorch, Kraken and Halcyon
have the most recommendations but I would like to get opinions first. Thanks in advance.

OH, excellent customer service and quality are other qualities I'm looking for as well. I don't have money to burn but I have no problems spending money on a good product that will last.

Hi. I am a dealer of the OrcaTorch diving flashlight.
Do you want Canister or a normal light?
If you want Canister dive light, I recommend you to buy D630 Canister dive light, I can give you 20% off.
Or you can click the link to see more dive lights you like:

ORCATORCH: TECHNICAL DIVING

SUITBALE FOR PROFESSIONAL DIVING

www.amazon.com