Is it worth buying to use only once?

[freewillie]

Well, maybe not once.

But, how much are you willing to spend (or not spend) for a piece of equipment you not use very often?

I'm signed up for a night dive in my AOW course, and I'm looking at my current collection of dive lights which are all small lights. Now, they would probably do for just the check out dive, but I'm starting to get that itch that a new, bigger dive light would be nice. But, I'm not really planning on doing a whole lot of night dives except on vacation once or twice a year.

I currently have a Princeton Tec Torrent takes 8 AA batteries with the xenon bulb. I was thinking of upgrading to a Princeton minwave LED mostly because smaller size would be easier travel with, and use other for my back up. I'm also making a deep dive on the HMCS Yukon at San Diego which will cover wreck dive as well. I'm trying to help justify the $$ by telling myself I can use it for deep dive, does get pretty dark that deep.

Also, what is the most $$$ you've spent on a single piece of gear for a single dive?

Thanks!

 

[Akimbo]

Several comments. If you don’t think you will enjoy night diving, why sign up for the course? Alternatively, talk to the instructor to see if you can borrow or rent a larger light. You may go nuts over night diving and have an entirely different view of what kind of light to get. It is a kick.

On the other hand, I rarely carry a large light during daylight dives to 160-200' here on the central and north coast of California.

 

[Tigerman]

Borrow/rent a light for the AOW course. If you like night diving and want to do it later, just buy one when time comes?

 

[blackvans1234]

Don't buy it if you don't need it

Unless you have money to spend

 

[DevonDiver]

But, how much are you willing to spend (or not spend) for a piece of equipment you not use very often?

If it is safety equipment, then you must think of it as an insurance policy. Knives, whistles, SMBs and reels may not get used often, but the occasions when you do need them, they are priceless.

For other activity-specific items, then rental is the best solution, until you can determine that your demand for the item is sufficient to justify the expense of ownership.

 

[vladimir]

Also, what is the most $$$ you've spent on a single piece of gear for a single dive?

I spent ~$1,000 on a personal locator beacon that I never used, in the sense that it was never fired (deployed, activated). I did bring it on a handful of dives though, which is its intended use, as DevonDiver points out. You don't bring a PLB in the expectation of having to actually fire it (you'd abort the dive in that case). I ultimately decided it wasn't worth the hassle of lugging it and sold it for a couple of hundred dollars.

 

[hypertech]

Borrow one for the course if you can. If you find you enjoy yourself and want to do it more, then think about a purchase.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I'm pretty familiar with the Yukon and other San Diego dive sites. You're right. It does get rather dark at depth. Vis can range from 5 ft. to 50+ ft. In addition to being able to see stuff at night or down deep, your dive light is a signaling instrument, so it needs to be strong enough for communicating with your dive buddy. Your Torrent LED is going to seem rather "wimpy" as a primary light on a San Diego night dive. For the conditions you'd normally encounter at the Yukon and similar sites, e.g., La Jolla Shores, Point Loma kelp beds, RubyE, etc., I think a 4C or 8C battery would be a good choice for a primary light. The Princeton Tec Miniwave LED (4C) has similar output to my primary light Princeton Tec Shockwave LED (8C), but the Shockwave LED can go longer in-between battery charging/replacement. UK makes some well-regarded lights as well. One advantage of going with a UK light is that their company is located nearby in Vista, CA. My friends and I have had very positive customer service experiences with both companies.

FYI, the Miniwave LED and Shockwave LED cost approx. $80 - $120 each, depending on where/when you make the purchase.

When I took my AOW class, our instructor had a few primary dive lights (UK 8C non-LED lights, I believe) that she lent to the students for the night and deep adventure dives. They worked OK for one dive. I would just ask your instructor if he/she could lend you something for the dives in question. If you can't borrow a light, then the next best thing would be to rent one from a local dive shop. I am not sure whether Ocean Enterprises or Sport Chalet here in the San Diego area rent out any lights. I'd recommend calling ahead.

FWIW, 90% of my local dives here in San Diego are night dives. I love seeing the unique critters that are out and about after the sun goes down. Communication is easier with dive buddies. You can star-gaze while you kick out to your drop-in point. Parking is a piece of cake at night, too.

Once you're hooked on night dives...you've really gotta try an early morning dive. It starts as a night dive and finishes as a day dive. Very cool.

 

[knotical]

I'm also making a deep dive on the HMCS Yukon at San Diego which will cover wreck dive as well.

It's against most agency's standards to count a single dive as both a deep and a wreck dive for AOW.

 

[eelnoraa]

For AOW check out night dive, you don't need a super bright & long lasting light. Something like UK eSL4 LED, Dorcy 220, or better yet, Intova Ultra will do more than enough. Dont spend hundres of a light if AOW is your purpose.