Recreational Non-Canister Dive Light?

[RHungENT]

Was wondering about opinions on an OMS "hand" light. I dive tropical vacation dives and have a pistol grip light. Moving towards DIR and like the Goodman handles to free up a hand, but not looking for canister light. What would you recommendation for a primary night-dive light? Was looking between OMS head-light on a hand strap or just using a good LED backup light held in the hand.

Richard

 

[Rainer]

In the Caribbean, at night, I just usually rock my PT LED. It's what I have for a backup anyway, so serves double duty. A 21W for a night dive would be overkill (by a lot IMO) in those waters.

 

[Charles R]

Personally I Use my 10W Can light in clear water night dives its enough light but not over kill.

 

[OneBrightGator]

I have a Salvo handheld HID and if I was buying something similar now I would probably buy the LED version. I have the goodman handle and it's worth the cost.

That being said, to put my mind at ease on the last trip I brought my standby UK D8. If you reverse the latern grip you can hold it like a thumbloop and at $35 used it's not gonna ruin my trip if I lose it. My buddy brought his 18w and I did have major light envy though.

 

[RHungENT]

I hate to sound cheap...(though I really want the PT) the PT will cost me about $160 (Tx tax) and the OMS headlamp on a strap will cost $62 at LP.
Does having a goodman handle really make night diving easier? Having two hands...
Richard

 

[danemeyer20]

what company is the PT abreviation for?

 

[Underwater Ogre]

Probably Princeton Tec

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

PT in this case means Photon Torpedo ... made by a company called (if I recall off the top of my head) Gulftex.

They're quite popular as backup lights ... I own two of the LED version.

For tropical diving, I found them to be a bit TOO focused for primary use. Although you definitely want a light you can use for signaling, if it's your only application, get one with a bit more of a halo. Otherwise you have no peripheral vision whatever ... that's from a dozen or so night dives in Indonesia recently using them as our primary lights.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

Having a Goodman handle makes it much easier to use the hand with the light in it for other things, like running a reel. It's also easy, because the light just sits on your hand, and you don't have to hold it, and you're VERY unlikely to drop it. But I've done night dives with just a hand-held light, and it worked fine. I do put a lanyard on the light around my wrist, so that if I drop it, it's not gone.

There are some very nice backup-type lights that make good lights for night diving. The Photon is one. I also have two old Halcyon Scouts that I converted to use the UK SL4 eLED module, and they're very bright. A friend has an Intova backup light, which is not DIR because it has a switch, but it's a bright little light, and quite inexpensive.

My husband actually built a little adapter to put a backup light on his existing Goodman handle -- he used a pipe clamp and a little piece of stainless steel plate he bought at the hardware store. He has some pictures of what he did at My First DIY - Goodman Handle for a Scout - The Dive Matrix Forums

 

[BarryNL]

I hate to sound cheap...(though I really want the PT) the PT will cost me about $160 (Tx tax) and the OMS headlamp on a strap will cost $62 at LP.
Does having a goodman handle really make night diving easier? Having two hands...
Richard

As this has been posted in the DIR forum you get the DIR answer:

- The lamp has to go in the hand because signalling with it is just as important as illuminating stuff with it. A Goodman handle is needed to keep the hand free for other tasks.

- A cannister lamp is used to provide somewhere to anchor the longhose and to provide ditchable weight (though modern batteries make this last point a bit moot).