I was fortunate to test the OrcaTorch ZD710 Zoomable dive light. For the test dive I took the light to Ginnie Springs in North Central Florida. I was curious how the narrow vs wide angle beams would look in the cave. The two photos were taken outside the spring, showing the size of the light on my hand. Orcatorch makes a specific soft mount and a hard mount goodman style handle for this light. I used a soft Oxychek light glove as I already had one, and it worked great. The light didn’t feel heavy on my hand, and I had good control over it. I did have to take the glove off to change the zoom setting when I wanted to go from narrow to wide. It is not difficult to change the beam width, but it does take intentional effort. The upside of this is if you knock it, it won’t change accidentally.
I took the light on a one-hour dive in the cave, and then I did a second dive all on the same charge, so over 100 minutes on the brightest setting. I did not notice any appreciable decrease in brightness until the red low battery light had come on and I was exiting the cave on the second dive. There was still plenty of light for exiting, it was just noticeably dimmer than the max brightness setting I started on. In the cave the narrow beam was very bright, albeit wider than the typical cave light, and it had a decent amount of throw in the cave. The only downside specific to cave diving I could see was that there is not a hot spot in the center of the beam, which would present a challenge for signaling. For recreational use however this would likely not be an issue.
Where I think this light excels is its wide setting. It lit up the whole cave! It was really impressive. It was amazing being able to swim down a passageway but seeing the whole tunnel lit up rather than just a small part of it. Normally you would need to bring a whole separate video light (and hold it), to do the same. With this light you get both options in one mounted on the back of your hand!
I wasn't able to attach the video to this post (too large), but it is on the Amazon review I posted. It shows the entrance to the cave, and the difference between the narrow and wide beams. It also shows the different brightness levels.
All in all, I think this is a great light. It is unique with its ability to go from standard to video, and it is super bright with a very impressive runtime for a handheld light of this class.
Amazon link (with video review):
I took the light on a one-hour dive in the cave, and then I did a second dive all on the same charge, so over 100 minutes on the brightest setting. I did not notice any appreciable decrease in brightness until the red low battery light had come on and I was exiting the cave on the second dive. There was still plenty of light for exiting, it was just noticeably dimmer than the max brightness setting I started on. In the cave the narrow beam was very bright, albeit wider than the typical cave light, and it had a decent amount of throw in the cave. The only downside specific to cave diving I could see was that there is not a hot spot in the center of the beam, which would present a challenge for signaling. For recreational use however this would likely not be an issue.
Where I think this light excels is its wide setting. It lit up the whole cave! It was really impressive. It was amazing being able to swim down a passageway but seeing the whole tunnel lit up rather than just a small part of it. Normally you would need to bring a whole separate video light (and hold it), to do the same. With this light you get both options in one mounted on the back of your hand!
I wasn't able to attach the video to this post (too large), but it is on the Amazon review I posted. It shows the entrance to the cave, and the difference between the narrow and wide beams. It also shows the different brightness levels.
All in all, I think this is a great light. It is unique with its ability to go from standard to video, and it is super bright with a very impressive runtime for a handheld light of this class.
Amazon link (with video review):
