Primary Light Question

[Firedive]

Please excuse the naive question... What qualities make a light a "primary light?" Is there a particular wattage or other qualities that make a light primary as opposed to back-up? I have been using two small but bright hand-mounted lights that are 3 watts each on night dives, one with a narrow beam and one that's wider and more diffuse, with no problems, but my gear was recently inspected for a program I'm in, and the person who checked it said I had no primary light.

Any advice on inexpensive, small, easy-to-hold and mount primaries would be appreciated. I'm a small person and most of the lights my friends use seem enormous to me.

Thanks!

 

[Blackwood]

I'd say as long as it's bright enough for you, and as long as your buddy/team can see your light, you are good. Otherwise, consider something brighter.

Note that picking out a dim spot when there are multiple really bright ones (e.g. someone using a little a-cell Ikelite while his buddies all have canister HIDs) can be difficult.

 

[captndale]

It depends upon the program you are in. For any technical program, a primary light is a very bright hand light connected to a seperate battery canister. The most popular ones today are all HID lights.

 

[GrandpaScuba]

It depends on the type of diving. In cold-murky waters you need a much more powerful light than you would in clear waters of Cozumel. When I'm diving in the Carribean, the light I use as a "primary" light would be considered a backup light anywhere else.

In my "native" Puget Sound waters, I use an 8 C-cell light as primary and an 8 AA-cell light as my backup. In the Carribean, my 8 AA-cell light is my primary and a 4 AA-cell light is my backup.

 

[TSandM]

Given where you are, I might be able to guess the program in question, in which captndale's answer is the right one.

 

[Firedive]

It's not a technical program - it's the LA County Advanced Diver Program. I'd love a nice canister light but it's outside the budget at the moment.