Introduction
Whether you are planning to night dive, dive wrecks or dive underwater caves, having a good dive light is essential, as it will offer you the maximum safety and enjoyment. You need a good quality dive light or scuba diving torch. So to help you find the right one, we have spent many hours in the dark illuminating ourselves to bring you the best dive lights out there. Below we feature the best lights currently available on the market. From everything to compact lights with long-lasting batteries to help you see in the distance with an emergency flash to the brightest underwater flashlights. All to make your choice easier for you!
Genwiss Dive Light
Dive Lights
Genwiss Dive Light
VOLADOR Diving Flashlight
ORCATORCH Upgraded Version D550 Dive Light
BlueFire 1100 Lumen CREE XM-L2 Scuba Diving Flashlight
Goldengulf Cree XM-L2 Led Scuba Diving Flashlight Torch
Odepro Scuba Dive Light
WOLFWAY Dive Light
Diving Flashlight 18000
How to Choose the Best Dive Light
Now that you’ve got a good idea of what the best diving torch options out there are and our recommendations, we felt it might be a good idea to discuss the kinds of things you should look for when investing in underwater torches.
A dive light for every occasion
Daytime dives
Everything begins to look gray at 30 feet underwater, even during the day. Many divers choose to carry with them at least a compact secondary light that is easy to carry, but also powerful enough to illuminate the dazzling colors underwater. If you’ve taken the effort to reveal the ocean’s hidden world, why wouldn’t you want the full visual experience?
Nighttime dives
Night divers are advised to have both a primary and secondary scuba diving light for safety. For maximum visibility in nighttime waters, select a light with a wide, bright beam that will penetrate the darkness. 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.
Low visibility dives
Like fog lights on cars, scuba lights used in low visibility conditions need to be both powerful and without peripheral light that can bounce back in the diver’s eyes and impair vision. UK Dive Lights, with our proprietary Side Optics (like the C8 eLED) are the best option for low visibility / murky waters.
Our patented side optics create an ideal beam ratio; A tight beam with little spill that will cut through the murkiness and allow you to see further. A wide beamed light with spill light will reflect back from the particles in the water and make it more difficult for you to see.
At Underwater Kinetics, we control the spill of our C lights so you can see better in murky water. The C4 and C8 put 90% of their lumens into the center beam, while the Light Cannon puts 70%. Regular diving lights will only manage around 40% of their lumens into the center beam.
Different Types of Lights
With a variety of lights available on the market, it’s a good idea to know what you are looking for. Although the best new dive lights come with different features, power, brightness color, etc. there are three different kinds of scuba diving lights available.
Each light will suit different people in different ways, depending on the type of scuba diving environment, emergencies, and darkness of water. Here are the three different types of diving torches:
Primary Dive Light
Primary dive lights should feature a very bright light beam and shape and should contain a long-lasting battery or batteries. These kinds of scuba diving lights are usually very robust and durable. Divers felt that the more powerful they are, the better the light is, particularly if you are doing any scuba diving in low light, cavern environments or at night.
Secondary Dive Light
Secondary dive lights (also known as backup lights), should be lightweight and are usually small in size. These lights are normally carried to use as a backup if your everyday light runs out of batteries or runs into problems. You should always check that your backup light is fully charged before each dive.
Photo/Video Dive Light
Photo/video dive lights are designed to be used when you want to take some underwater pictures or shoot some footage while scuba diving. Generally, these models utilize a much brighter and wider beam size and shape of light and can be mounted onto a variety of attachments, trays and other mounts for ease of operation. They have been rated very good by oceanographers
Beam Size and Shape
The second most important you need to think about when looking at dive lights is the angle of the beam size and shape of your new underwater flashlight.
Although brightness is useful, bigger does not necessarily mean better when you are looking at dive lights and their beam angle. It all depends on the application of the light as to whether a wide or tighter narrower beam would be best.
Dive lights with wide-angle beams are best used when you need the maximum level of visibility, like when you are scuba diving at night or in low light. These make great choices for SOS flash use.
Dive lights with narrow-angle beams, on the other hand, are better for close-up work when you need a tight beam and the brightest handheld spotlight to shine under ledges and into crevices.
Dive Light Battery can come in rechargeable and disposable battery models. I personally like the disposable battery models as rechargeable batteries eventually stop holding their charge. That said, if you have a power bank you can charge your torch between dives. Another important point to note is that the best dive lights have a constant circuit, meaning that the brightness of the light remains consistent and doesn’t falter.
Dimensions of the dive light can be important when it comes to the handling of the torch. A heavier and bulkier dive light might get in the way of your other accessories.
FAQ About Scuba Diving Lights
There you have it, our guide to the best dive lights and some tips on choosing the right model for your needs. We are sure you will find a great bargain but first, you might want to have a look at these frequently asked questions.
How Bright Should a Dive Light be?
This depends upon the type of dive light you want to carry. There are three main types of divers light. The first is the primary dive light, a robust and durable light with a long-life battery that is intended to help you when scuba diving at night or in low light. The most powerful primary dive lights will provide much more, with select models offering as much as 20,000 lumens of light output.
The secondary dive light is a lighter and more portable device, intended for less arduous use and as an occasional torch. These are varied in terms of brands, power, size and shape, but you should be looking at around 500 lumens for decent divers light.
The third type of light is that for use when photographing underwater. These are specialist lights with a powerful and direct beam – rather than an angled one – and there are many to choose from on the market.
How do I Choose a Dive Light?
There are three main factors to consider when choosing a divers light: the type you need – primary, secondary (backup) or photography, the brightness, and the beam size and shape. You might also want to think whether you need an emergency strobe and SOS flash feature or not.
If you intend to go scuba diving at night or in low light, a bright light head with a wide-angle beam is best. If you need a torch for looking into crevices and such, a narrow-angle of beam light head will be more effective. Also, set your budget in advance and make sure you buy the best you can with the mode you require.
How many Lumens do I need for Night Diving?
A rule of thumb is that a diver in clear water will need a total light output of 1000 lumens. It follows that for night diving, you will need a brighter torch if you are to stay safe.
We have seen torches with as much as 20,000 lumens, but the norm is around 2000 to 5000 output in lumens mark. If you are scuba diving in poor light, it’s best to have the brightest divers light you can find for successful diving.
XENON, LED AND HID DIVE LIGHTS
Xenon dive lights are usually less expensive, but they don’t provide the same amount of brightness that LED or HID do. On the plus side, Xenon lights give warm, natural colors versus the bluish colors of HID and LED.
LED and HID systems have a more powerful and lasting intense light. The amazing high color temperature of HID lighting is being surpassed now by the next generation of LED systems. Thanks to their higher efficiency and ruggedness, LED dive lights have become the most popular choice among divers.
Find the best scuba diving light depending on your needs:
For “night diving,” exploring reefs and wide areas, you should get a wide-beam bright dive torch.
For “technical diving,” planning to explore wrecks or caves, you should go for a narrow-beam dive light with long lasting batteries.
For recording video or underwater photography, a video diving light with a wide and bright light would be best.
For looking into crevices and under ledges and diving in murky water with limited visibility, a tight-beam bright light would be the best option.
Conclusion
Take proper care of your scuba light. Clean it with fresh water after every dive. Once it’s clean, let it dry and store it in a dry place protected from the sun. Read the instructions carefully and take special care of the batteries. Some batteries must be stored in a certain way, recharged from time to time, etc.
Follow the above tips, and you won’t get disappointed or feel that your money hasn’t been spent in the wrong way. For our pick on which dive light was the best, was the Genwiss Dive Light It had a great dive capacity with a strong adjustable beam.
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We would love to hear your thoughts & feedback on masks you have purchased.
