individual marker lights-constant or strobe?

[slingshot]

I may be in the minority, but I think there is some use to having a marker light. On night dives, I often turn off my primary light, and just coast in the dark. A small marker (I use an elastic bungie to keep it on my tank valve) helps my dive buddy (hi honey!) keep tabs on me, and vice versa. I use a Glo-toob FX, and keep it on the "low on" position. I think strobes should be reserved for emergency signaling or at most for marking an ascent line.

 

[diver_paula]

they're not on all the time...but did you ever get stuck behind someone who left their blinker on for 5 miles?

Or behind someone with one or more of those crystals dangling from their rear view mirror on a sunny day!? I personally think that should be outlawed! .

 

[WOODMAN]

Okay, constant glow for my individual marker light- I agree. But now I am asking about the best color for optimum visibility underwater. Anybody have any thoughts on this? The Glo-toob I am considering now comes in several colors, and I lean towards the amber. What do you guys think? :new_smili

 

[HowardE]

What about this?

http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=UKBeacon

It's cheap, and visible. I've used it.

 

[crpntr133]

Okay, constant glow for my individual marker light- I agree. But now I am asking about the best color for optimum visibility underwater. Anybody have any thoughts on this? The Glo-toob I am considering now comes in several colors, and I lean towards the amber. What do you guys think? :new_smili

In another thread on the Glo-toob the concensus was that the best color would either be clear or blue. No scientific study was done, just figured that red was the first part of the spectrum to be lost so red was out. Being blue is the last, it was the winner.

 

[BuoyantC]

Even though no one wants to be annoyed by a marker light, they are a good thing especially as Slingshot posted about coasting with lights off. For myself and my dive buddy (wife) we use red markers. One is constant on and the other blinking. Because red seems to be suttle, even the blinking one is not obtrusive.

We are diving in good visiblitiy, however, and the red is visible from a safe distance. We have dived in areas with lower visibility, and I think there are more suitable colors for that. Having dived with divers using white strobes, I agree they are highly annoying, but in very low visibility they may be the only thing you can see.

Dennis