Diving is the first step to experiencing a serene, eerie, and mysterious world underwater. And soon after getting in, the sapphire sea in front of you turns dark as the depth increases. You get ready to interact with the ocean life that will leave you in awe and wonder. You want to make the event as memorable as possible, and you pull out your light, only to find the whole torch soaked in water.
You want to experience the underwater world and savor every moment, but a small hitch in your diving gear forces you to miss out on some part of the fun. Well, not today. Whether you are going for cold light (for seas and clear water) or warm light (for muddy and freshwater), below is a list of the best scuba diving and spearfishing flashlights in the market:
| Image | Product | |
|---|---|---|
Weight: 254 grams | Light and Motion Sola Dive 1200 S/F Light
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Weight: 178 grams  | Light and Motion GoBe 1000 Wide FC
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Weight: 183 grams  | ORCATORCH D550 Scuba Dive Light 2020
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Weight: 708 grams  | Underwater Kinetics C4 eLED (L2) Dive Light
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Weight:174 grams  | SeaLife Sea Dragon Mini 1300S
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Weight: 510 grams  | Scubapro Nova 850 Diving Light
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Here’s a list of the top six diving lights:
1. Light and Motion Sola Dive 1200 S/F Light | Easy recharge and mounting dive lights
Light and Motion is renowned for its high-quality products globally, and their Sola Dive 1200 S/F Light is no different. This light is flexible and powerful and compact for up to 100 meters below the sea level.
It features a hand strap that would make your diving experience more relaxed and free.
Key features include:
- Weights 254grams, hence would be light to carry around
- It has a simple one-touch toggle switch
- It has LEDs for mode and battery indication- easier to monitor
- The body of the light is tightly sealed to prevent flooding. Hence, it can be reliable for longer
- An easy to mount hand strap that is useable with or without diving gloves
- An external wet charge interface- this makes charging more dependable
- Rechargeable Li-ion battery
This scuba diving light comes with an external charger that you use on the rear of the light. It is easy to plugin and charges for an average of 150 minutes from no to full-charge.
The Sola Dive 1200 S/F Light has no fast charge capabilities, but it does include technologies that allow for passive cooling. And since it has up to 270 minutes’ runtime, it makes for the best diving light.
- The packaging contains a rechargeable battery and a charger
- It has three power modes, high, medium, and low outputs
- It is a high-quality product with red light mode and resistance
- The aluminum and tampered glass materials would make it the best diving light
- Using the light in high power mode drains the battery rapidly
- You have to purchase the hand strap separately
2. Light and Motion GoBe 1000 Wide FC | The most versatile dive light in the market
Searching for the ultimate compact light for your scuba diving escapades? Then the GoBe 1000 Wide S/F from Light Motion is the best choice for you. It integrates a compact camera housing with an action tray for the perfect underwater imaging.
Key Features
- Multiple mounting options, including hand strap, Loc-Line, and Bar
- Fast charge capabilities, with the battery charging from 0 to 100% in 3 hours
- A multi-colored battery and mode indicator for easier performance monitoring
- Interchangeable light heads- you can use another GoBe light head for more versatility
- A 60” wide beam- this allows for clearer and enhanced underwater imagery and recording
- Five power modes of operation-high, low, medium, SOS, and extended
The GoBe 1000 S/F’s build can withstand stress and pressure. This way, you can use it for diving up to 120 meters without any fear of failure. It features the highest level CREE LEDs for better visibility.
- The wide view allows for underwater video and image recording with a wide area view
- The innovative design and factory seal keeps the light waterproof, even after diving to 120 meters
- The custom-engineered design allows you to interchange between different GoBe light heads for versatility
- Reflectors designed for maximum efficiency
- Lightweight, weighing only 178 grams
- The battery drains quickly when operating in high-power mode, with only 1.5 hours’ runtime
3. ORCATORCH D550 Scuba Dive Light 2020 | The perfect lightweight and durable backup dive light
ORCATORCH D550 Scuba Dive Light is reputable for its reliability. These small and lightweight diving lights can be the ideal addition to your scuba diving gear. Since it is highly waterproof and easy to use, it is a favorite among divers who go up to 150 meters deep.
Key Features
- Three modes of operation-high, medium, and low modes
- A magnetic switch
- A fully rechargeable battery, with a charging cable and charging port
- Made of aircraft-grade, anodized aluminum, hence its compact nature
- Weights only 183g, thus is lightweight and easy on the hand
- Can use a hand strap
- Good diving backup light with high and long-lasting brightness
- The hard anodized material is resistant to scratches, corrosion, and impact
- Small compact size, and lightweight
- Lightweight and compact size
- Pleasantly sturdy, hence durable
- The rechargeable battery takes up to 7 hours to charge completely
- A bit more expensive than other diving lights with the same specifications
4. Underwater Kinetics C4 eLED(L2) Dive Light | The best rechargeable dive light
Versatility and durability are primary features of the Underwater Kinetics C4 eLED(L2)diving light, making it a world’s favorite in the field of scuba diving. While delivering powerful and penetrating beams, it can preserve its battery capacity to serve you for up to 19 hours on low mode.
Key Features
- A pistol grip that makes it comfortable to hold
- A toggle switch alternating between low and high mode
- Rechargeable batteries that could last you up to 10 years with proper care
- HYDRALUM material used in the construction is resistant to corrosion
- A safety switch to prevent accidental turning on of the switch
- A custom-engineered design that combines two beams to one for maximum intensity
- Sunlight-colored beam for greater visibility
- A rubber bezel to protect from impact
- The battery allows for a 5-hour burn time in high mode
- The compact material used in the construction allows for up to 150 meters deep diving without collapsing
- The light is available at standard alkaline C-cell batteries, but you can upgrade them to the rechargeable packs
- The tough and composite material used in the engineering of this lamp protect against corrosion caused by seawater for years
- This Underwater Kinetics Dive Light only works with the new C4 eLED (L2) lights and is not compatible with old lights
- It is slightly heavier and harder to get used to, weighing 708grams
- Reported cases of the toggle switch causing flooding in the light, despite the tight sealing at the light head
5. SeaLife Sea Dragon Mini 1300S | The best spearfishing flashlight
Looking for the best diving light to provide a narrow long-range beam with excellent brightness? Then SeaLife Sea Dragon Mini 1300S could be your choice. This light allows for one-hand operation, with up to 5 lighting modes.
Key Features
- Five light modes- Full, half, and one-quarter power, the emergency SOS signal, and the one-second flash signal
- Made of anodized aluminum material for durability and resistance to corrosion
- One button for multiple operations
- Depth penetration of up to 100m
- Has two battery options- either one 18659 Li-ion rechargeable battery or two lithium single-use batteries
- A battery indicator for easier monitoring of your power usage
- A pressure release valve to remove any internal pressure resulting from battery damage
- The SeaLife Sea Dragon Mini 1300S features a robust and anodized material that protects against impact
- The 3500mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery can last up to 5.5 hours at low power and 2.8 hours on high power mode
- The package includes a wrist lanyard with a BCD clip for easier use
- The light is convenient and has a wide view, which are essential aspects for a spearfishing light
- The light package does not include batteries, which adds to the cost
6. Scubapro Nova 850 Diving Light | 100% Waterproof deep dive lights
Scubapro delivers the intensity you need to tour dark waters in the sea. With their Scubapro Nova 850 Dive Light, you get to experience vibrancy, both at night and during the day. The heavy-duty aluminum-build dive light is durable and long-lasting.
Key Features
- Double O-rings for 100% waterproofness
- An extended beam head shroud- prevents you from distracting other divers
- Heavy-duty aluminum material for construction ensures durability and resistance against impact for up to 150 meters
- Over-pressure valve to release internal pressure in case of a battery damage
- Simple to operate the push-button switch, with or without gloves
- Uses 3 C-cell batteries that could last up to 7 hours on high power mode
- The package includes a lanyard for easier use during scuba diving
- This compact light is powerful enough to be a primary light, yet small enough to fit into your diving bag, to act as a spare light for divers
- The dive light handy and adaptable
- Has a concentrated and powerful beam for deep diving
- You have to buy the batteries separately
- It is not a rechargeable dive light, and the batteries are hard to find since Scubapro does not offer
What Key Things Should I Check When Buying a Dive Light?
Choosing a dive light that will fully meet your needs is not an easy task. Some people might think that it only entails picking one that produces the light that they need. With dive lights, it goes beyond lighting. The following questions will help you find the option that best suits your needs.
What Kind of Diving Are You Planning to Engage In?
When diving, it is essential to remember that even during the day, diving deeper into the ocean, about 60 meters below the surface, you become engulfed in darkness. In case you intend to use the dive light during this time, where some light penetrates the ocean and seas, you can get a less bright lamp, compared to the one you use at night. This is because the light’s goal is to set out nature’s colors for more details.
Using a dive light with a powerful and tight beam light will help access even the darkest areas in areas with low visibility. Avoid using lights with a broad beam light, as it will hamper your visibility even more.
For night purposes, use a torch with a broad beam light to enable you to see even the surrounding environments without turning the torch around. Wider beam lights help to prevent overly bright light into your eyes. A torch with 90 degrees will deliver desirably.
Ensure that your dive light provides sufficient lighting and is durable. Divers will often use the umbilical alternatives since they are durable and have a section in which you can insert extra batteries if need be.
Are you going for cold or warm water diving?
Coldwater diving often involves chillier temperatures compared to warm water diving. For this reason, you always have to add in extra gear to keep you protected from the extreme temperatures. You might have to add a pair of gloves. When that is the case, then you will have to get a diving light that is easier to operate with the extra gear in place.
You have to choose the right light for your sea and clear water diving, i.e., cold light. These have a bluish light, which gives you the best range and depth.
For warm water diving, use a warm light (for muddy and freshwater). These appear to have a yellowish glow that resembles daylight. Warm diving lights are incandescent lamps that use halogen and xenon instead of LEDs.
However, the warm lights tend to be less bright than the LED lights, have more power consumption and shorter lifetimes.
Which Technology Is the Best?
With the huge technological advancement in LED (Light Emitting Diode) this concept has taken over the market. LED remains in the lead for its high reliability, improved brightness, and light sizes. Manufacturers can deliver lights that can burn for up to 10,000 hours from a small power source.
What makes LED lights more durable than other filament bulbs is that they often lack the fragile filament in halogen bulbs. These filaments heat up to produce light, making them short-lived.
Which Power Source to Rely On?
The most common options when it comes to the power source are rechargeable and non-rechargeable options. If you are a frequent diver, rechargeable lights are the choice for you to lower costs.
Primarily, if you only have a few minutes break and you are back in the water, this might be the best option. Rechargeable lights need you to have access to electric power and time for them to charge. If you don’t intend to use the dive light more often, consider using non-rechargeable ones.
Non-rechargeable torches have alkaline batteries. They are cheap to purchase, and replacing the batteries is inexpensive. If you find that alkaline batteries are not serving you adequately, you can replace them with lithium batteries.
You must also choose a dive torch that is easy to handle, one that will not leave your grip easily, and efficient when switching it.
Why Are Dive Lights Important?
You can use dive lights in the following areas.
Easy identification
Divers who find it more enjoyable to explore at night when it is calm require dive lights for visibility reasons. Since they will often swim as a team, they will want to keep each one’s location at all times.
You can use the torch for identification purposes. Often divers will fix the light at the tank or use a BCD to identify themselves. Others will go for a uniform color, for instance, blue lights, to determine their team members.
Recreational purposes
For recreational divers, they will only swim to enjoy the view of life and other deep-sea features. For the best experience, this will require a good source of light, especially for night divers. It also gives a sense of security being able to see your group and communicate with them.
Also, dive lights play a significant role in color enhancement. As you go deeper, some colors like red fade, and thereby the sites may seem dull than they usually are. With an artificial source of light, you can regain these bright colors.
Having a great underwater view
If you are an explorer, it is probably the reason why you are engaging in diving activities. Curious explorers will want to discover what lies beneath what their eyes can see. Fearful sea creatures are likely to be hiding in deep waters under the rocks, reefs ad other barriers down there. A dive light will be of great significance to find these lives in their hideouts.
Technical diving
Technical divers often go more in-depth than recreational divers will. They will want to explore even the darker areas of the deep waters where light cannot go through. This includes the caves, deep spots, and wrecks. For easy navigation, a dive light is necessary.
At times, having one or more torch substitutes is necessary, especially when you know you will be down there for long hours. Divers will also use these lights to make passive and active communication.
Photography
In contrast with technical and recreational deep-sea divers, photographers and videographers will use dive lights in a much different way. For cameras to give high-quality photos or videos, sufficient light is significant.
Natural lighting underwater is not adequate to provide perfect images. Therefore, photographers will use video lights to achieve high definition, which will result in quality images.
These video lights are applicable during daytimes when the water will seem so bright and night times to capture the deep-sea diving spots and hidden dark sites in caves.
Emergency Modes
You can dive in peace with a good quality diving light, knowing you have an emergency or alarm sounding plan. And while it is advised to carry two diving lights, the main and the backup, these are the gears that will help you call others to you.
A diving light with an emergency mode/SOS mode flashes to attract the attention of others. Whether you are in danger or discovered something, you want to show the others, flashing mode on the diving lights helps you do that.
In case of an emergency, shifting to SOS mode sends out light signals up to 30 meters away from your current location, making them an excellent addition to your diving gear.
How Do You Take Care of a Dive Light?
Investing in quality diving gear is always a plus for any scuba diver, especially after spending quite a sum of cash on getting them. And seawater is not the friendliest to your gear. Whether you are exploring the fresh waters or seas, taking care of your dive lights is essential.
These simple maintenance practices will keep your dive light in perfect shape.
Before diving,
- Open the light to view the condition of the O-rings
- Lubricate the O-rings with grease when replacing them. Ensure no dirt is attached to avoid breaking the seal
- Install new or fully charged batteries and check whether they function
- Check whether there is any form of corrosion to the light’s body and switch
After diving
- Rinse and preferably soak the light in warm water to rid all the sand and salt deposits
- Operate the switches multiple times while in water to get rid of salts and sand in the switches
- Leave the torch in the sun to dry thoroughly before you can open it
- Check whether the rings are in the right shape while replacing the batteries
- Remove the batteries before storing it if you don’t plan on using the flashlight for a while
Conclusion
There are many ways to enjoy your life, and choosing deep-sea diving is a way to explore thousands of creatures you don’t see every day. Diving in the night adds vibrancy to your underwater tour, mostly when you use the right lights.
To determine the best diving flashlights, consider:
- High water resistance
- Different lighting angles
- Emergency flashing
- A battery-either rechargeable or non-rechargeable
- Ease of use
- Comfort of mounting
Considering these factors, we have provided a list of the top 6 flashlights for diving and their reviews. Choose one to add to your scuba diving gear today!
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