How to Choose a Suitable Dive Light (2024)

FAQs

How to Choose a Suitable Dive Light? ›

When it comes to scuba lights, the general rule is the brighter the better. This is particularly true in night diving, when a bright light output with a wide beam, such as the Light Cannon or Aqualite, is recommended for maximum visibility.

Generally speaking, entry-level diving lights and flashlights with 700-1000 lumens can meet the basic needs. If it is night diving, deep diving, cave diving, etc., it needs to be brighter. 2000-5000 lumens will do.

The number of lumens will depend on whether you dive in the water with high or low visibility. It will also depend on whether you dive at night or in daylight. Two hundred lumens for recreational daytime diving in clear water should be enough. You may need between 500 and 1000 lumens in cloudy water and at night.

Water Clarity: If you dive in murky water, a cooler colour temperature (around 6000K) may be better as it can penetrate through the water more effectively. If you dive in clear water, a warmer colour temperature (around 4000K) may be better as it can bring out more natural colours.

Depending on your requirement or type of diving you plan to do is a good rule of thumb is that any light with an average beam angle between 12 degrees to 75 degrees and a lumen output of 200 or greater should work fine for any recreational diving.

Brightness: While many flashlight producers use a lux rating for brightness, in the underwater world we mostly use lumens (we'll keep it brief, and won't go into the technical differences between the two). Look for a light of at least 1500 lumens or more, preferably at least 2000 lumens.

NIGHTTIME DIVES

When it comes to scuba lights, the general rule is the brighter the better. This is particularly true in night diving, when a bright light output with a wide beam, such as the Light Cannon or Aqualite, is recommended for maximum visibility.

A wider beam angle is what you'll need for night diving as it provides maximum visibility while a narrower beam angle will be more useful for illuminating specific spots—such as when you need to see into an underwater crevice or underneath some rocks. It's also the better option for murky, low-visibility waters.

For the average space of 250 square feet, you'll need roughly 5,000 lumens as your primary light source (20 lumens x 250 square feet). In your dining room, you'll want about 30 lumens per square foot on your dining table (you want to see your food, but not examine it), so if your table is 6 x 3 feet, that's 540 lumens.

For indoor lighting, a general guideline is to aim for a lumen output of around 1,500-3,000 lumens for living spaces, and 4,000-8,000 lumens for kitchens and bathrooms.

What color not to wear when diving? ›

Alternatively, divers and swimmers can probably reduce the chance of an interaction with a shark by avoiding bright and highly contrasting swimwear or dive gear. We personally prefer to use dark blue or black fins, mask, tank, and wetsuit while diving.

Gray and black were the most difficult to see. Specific colors are recommended as aids to visibility for use in. underwater operations of divers and operators of small submersibles. Other colors are recommended for concealment and combinations are chosen for cases in which color confusions underwater must be avoided.

A flood light tends to produce a beam that is even all through. A spot light, on the other hand, creates a beam that is brighter at the center but a little dimmer towards the edges. For this reason, a spot light might be great for searching for things underwater due to the bright light at the middle of the beam.

A handle or mount allows you to comfortably carry your light either in your hand or attached to your dive equipment. Some small lights mount on your mask, your wrist, a hose, your camera strobe or anywhere else you can think of to mount a light.

But it's also a good idea to carry a light during the day to peer inside wrecks, see under ledges and light up caverns. You'll use it on all your scuba diving adventures to look into the cracks and crevices where shy creatures hide.