How much light for night diving?

[divingjd]

Yeah, the C8 is pretty old and the technology and standards in lights have changed a lot since I started diving in the late 90s. When I first got that light, a divemaster asked who brought the searchlight. That tells you how crappy most of the lights were then. My point was just that you don't necessarily have to carry all the light that's available on the market.

 

[diversteve]

On the same Piranha website they sell the Penetrater 220 for $42 - 2 for $82. It has a narrowly focused 220 lumen beam. It's not the latest/greatest in CREE eLed technology but you can't beat the price. It's an aluminum light with a glass lens and twists on/off. Takes 6 AAA batteries - I have two of them. It's actually a Dorcy light - it's embossed in the handle. This is the same light on Amazon

One has been my regular house light for the past 5 years - used almost every night at the mailbox. I finally changed the batteries at Christmas - first time since about 2012.

Cozumel has extraordinarily clear water. Anyone recommending a 500-1000 lumen light or brighter - has probably never been there. You won't see any fish if you use one since you'll scare them all away first - they don't like it when you light them up for predators at night. I've even had to shield my 200lumen light (in T/C) - another exceptionally clear water destination - I actually had a big crab come at me aggressively when I lit him up b4 moving on. And conch flee - as fast as they could.

To give some idea of the beam coverage, while hanging at the safety stop I was highlighting things for my friends - 60' below. About a 10-15' circle at that range. Two other divers on our boat asked me about it later - both said I apparently had one of the brighter lights - they both planned to buy one.

It also easily fits in your pocket. If there's a downside, the lanyard is a little flimsy - the connection to the light is just a nylon thread. I added a quick link to fix that - found it at Home Depot - one they sell is plated.

It's not going to work for video/photos though - it produces 2-3 distinct rings and a hotspot in the center.

 

[tbone1004]

Yeah, the C8 is pretty old and the technology and standards in lights have changed a lot since I started diving in the late 90s. When I first got that light, a divemaster asked who brought the searchlight. That tells you how crappy most of the lights were then. My point was just that you don't necessarily have to carry all the light that's available on the market.

there is a reason I don't take a 3k lumen canister light with me in open water, but I do much prefer my high end backup lights to anything else on the market right now and with as cheap as they are, there isn't much of a justification for anything else especially when they are priced similarly to the other brands but offer a lot more.

@diversteve why buy those when for $20 more you can have a pair of DGX 600's and use rechargeable 18650's instead of AA's? I have a pair of them, but they're 8 years old from when they were actually the top of the line for backup lights. Same relative size, $10 more, 3x as much light output. That's a no brainer.

DGX 300 Mini Light
$10 cheaper, a LOT smaller, still a 50% light output improvement

 

[redacted]

I find too much light can cause problems with creatures and other divers on clear tropical reefs. I prefer lights with high/medium/low power switches wigh I use on high in bad vis and low in the tropics.

 

[tbone1004]

oh, for anyone curious. The coaster is a 3.5" square. Light on the left is a Cave Adventurers Explorer Video. Same as Hog Morph 1000 Video. The spot heads will be a bit longer. Light on the right is the Securitying light I linked above. It's longer because of the switch on the back. My Ano R105t's are in the garage, but they are a smidgen shorter than the Securitying

 

[sinistar]

Congratulations on your first dive trip, first trip to Cozumel and first night dive

The night dive in Cozumel is great, lots to see in really clear water. You just don't need that much light. Stick to LED for battery life and output.

For your primary lights maybe something like the UK C4 LED lights. Only 4 batteries that you can buy anywhere, no chargers to carry around and if you only use them once they'll make great flashlights back home.

Next, you really should have backup lights (even for an easy night dive). So maybe the Princeton Tec-260 at about $30. Tie this light to your BCD so you can find it if your primary dies or you drop it in the dark, etc.

Finally and this will be a big deal on your first night dive...add a 3rd cheap blinking strobe or cylume stick somewhere on the top/back of your tank. Anything to help and your dive buddy find each other and not get confused or split up or lost. This gives your DM a better chance of knowing you from just another light waving around. And if you drop your rig off the boat after the dive you can still find it.

You will find that the majority of divers do 1 night dive per trip and then after a few years they start to do less and less. So why jump in with $400 of gear you might use 4 times in the next 8 years.

 

[tbone1004]

@sinistar why would you recommend the C4?
C4 is $90 and requires C cells which aren't cheap. Also pistol grip which I think is stupid, but that's just me. So same price as what we are talking about, but very heavy, and inconvenient to use. You also shouldn't run these above the surface because they don't dissipate heat well and with only on/off function, you don't get much use there.
Your talking about a $120 investment/diver plus cost of batteries, so $240, or you spend $350 and get a much more versatile system adding the functionality of multiple brightness settings, huge weight savings, easier to use due to goodman vs pistol grip, and ones that are really nice to use on land.
the PT light you linked is fine, but for that brightness output and cost, I'd get the DGX Mini in a heartbeat

 

[MMM]

My favourite light (of the ones I have) is my Intovatec Sport Tac 2000. It weighs 125 grams and uses a rechargeable battery. Is about 5 inches long. Lots of different settings. I charged it in December and it is still running on that charge (I don't use it a lot). I think it was about $50. I have the luxury of leaving all my dive crap here at my house in Cozumel. If I had to fly with gear, I would be looking for what was the lightest and smallest and what was absolutely essential and what I could rent on site.

 

[ggunn]

I still have my old UK pistol grip light that takes 4 D's. I take it on night dives for backup and signaling but it's just too much for diving. My primary is a little Intova with a single LED and two brightness settings.

One thing that may make a difference in how much light you need is the moon. If it's high in the sky when I am night diving I turn off my light for a lot of the dive.

 

[DjDiverDan]

One thing that may make a difference in how much light you need is the moon. If it's high in the sky when I am night diving I turn off my light for a lot of the dive.

True. And even without a full moon, a night dive on Cozumel doesn't require a lot of light. Most ops go to Paradise Reef for night dives, so most of your dive will be between 30'-40', and with the water clarity at Cozumel, you really won't notice much difference in visibility between your dive and the surface light level. I know a lot of people get apprehensive about their first night dive, thinking that they're going to be in the pitch dark. But in Cozumel, it's really pretty easy, once your eyes adjust, to see well enough to find your way, even with your light off. If you stay close to your dive group, you can turn your light off and you'll still have plenty of light from the other 5 or 6 lights flashing around down under to see the critters that others have spotted.