Should I carry a light for recreational diving in Fiji?

[FLYNZ4]

I am debating if I should buy a light or not before our trip to Fiji next week. My wife and I are recreational divers (and never will be more than that). We are completing our confined water dives now at a LDS, and plan to do our open water dives while in Fiji.

I doubt that we will do night dives... but I don't know for sure. I am postive that if we buy lights, then I want disposible alkaline batteries since we will only be going on a few dive trips/year, and I do not want to deal with the "care and feeding" that rechargeables require.

Will we even need a light in Fiji? If we buy lights, should we just spend the extra money now and get a HID rather than a halogen? I was thinking that a UK light cannon might be a good choice since we have no interest in ever doing this more than at a recreational level. Does it make sense that only one of us carry a light?

If we buy lights, we will get them from our LDS. I would like to do my part in keeping the store in business, and like the way they have been treating us. Plus, in the long run, I don't think I am really paying any significant amount more.

/Jim

 

[Pez de Diablo]

I would recommend to always carrying a small light on every dive. They are great for shining in nooks and crannies for a better look at the critters hiding there.
Something like the Princeton tek 40, about $18.00 and uses AA.

You can clip it to your shoulder strap or stick it in a small pocket.

 

[Zept]

FLYNZ4 said...
Will we even need a light in Fiji? If we buy lights, should we just spend the extra money now and get a HID rather than a halogen? I was thinking that a UK light cannon might be a good choice since we have no interest in ever doing this more than at a recreational level. Does it make sense that only one of us carry a light?

A couple of thoughts:

For night diving on tropical reefs, I like a relatively low-key light. It seems rude to swim along blinding all the night-time critters and I don't want to scare everything away. I use a UK SL4 (four C cells). I originally bought it as a daytime light, but I find it adequate at night as well. And if you decide you need a more powerful torch, the SL4 is small enough to keep in a pocket as a back-up light.

You both need to carry lights when you are diving at night. If you only have one light, what will you do if it fails? Also, how will you signal to each other if one person has nothing to signal with? Technically you should both have two torches, a main light and a back-up light.

Have a great trip!

Zept

 

[zboss]

Bring a powerfull light on every day dive - it is amazing how much the beam will illuminate a reef even 20 feet from the surface. Use it to look under overhangs or into the nooks and crannies of a reef. You will be amazed at the small critters that are so well hidden...

 

[docmartin]

i can only agree: bring a light on every dive. you will see so much more. btw, i also thought i would never dive at night when i started. however, after the first one i was hooked.

 

[FLYNZ4]

I bought a couple of small lights today for my wife and I. I chose the Ikelite PC Lite model which is a fairly small 4C model. They were pretty inexpensive and one of the smaller lites available. There were smaller models that used AA cells, but I felt that C cells might be better.

I am still torn if I should buy the UK lite cannon. The LDS will charge me $200 with no tax/no shipping charges, which is a reasonable price. I am not sure that I want to drag around a light that is that big.

We are leaving for Fiji in a week... should we just stay with the two small lights, or should I get the light cannon? Will we notice the difference in the reefs?

/Jim

 

[Charlie99]

FLYNZ4 once bubbled...
I am still torn if I should buy the UK lite cannon. ..I am not sure that I want to drag around a light that is that big.

We are leaving for Fiji in a week... should we just stay with the two small lights, or should I get the light cannon?

I wouldn't get the light cannon. As Zept mentioned, the brightest light is not always the best. An HID light on a clear water night reef dive just give the fish a suntan and scares them away.

Most dive shops will have large light available for rent if you do decide you need bigger than PC Lite.

The other prime difference between lights is how focussed they are. The UK Q40, for example, is a tightly focussed beam -- good for signalling and good for looking in hidey holes during the day, but not good as a main light at night because it light up only a small area.

I usually bring an extra small light or two, and lend it to my buddy since a lot of divers rent a primary light from the boat or shop, but don't have a backup.

After warning my buddies during the briefing, I often turn off my main light and do the dive with the tiny 400mW UK 2AAA light. Your eyes will night adapt and you see more of what's around you.

You might look at picking up a battery powered equivalent of the cylume chemical lightstick that some divers attach to their tank. "Lazer-stik" or something similar is a good choice.

Enjoy Fiji!

Charlie

 

[blackice]

SO how was the trip? where the light you took with you the right ones for the job? Did they enhance teh diving or were they never used.

You feedback would be great in better understanding what is really needed on open water dives.

 

[FLYNZ4]

Update.... Sorry, I have not been on the board in a long time.

First of all, we both got certified in Fiji I felt very natural... but Debbie struggled. All in all, it was a great experience, and we are both Padi divers now

We have not done any local dives... and for right now, we do not plan any. However, we are returning to Fiji in February

As far as the dive lights... Debbie didn't use hers at all... and in fact, I think she left it in her dive bag. I had mine with me, and while she was practicing her skills, or while we were exploring the reef... I used it quite a bit. I was looking under every overhang, and hole in the reef always looking for more life. I also used it to see the colors more vividly.

Thanks for all the advice. I really loved diving!

/Jim

 

[SubMariner]

Welcome to the wonderful world of scuba.

That light in your BC pocket really came in handy, didn't it? I know my little SL 4 always does.