How To Select A Proper Dive Light

Summer is coming, the diving plan is essential for the diving enthusiasts. After all, no one can resist the rich and colorful underwater world. The most important thing in diving is that you need to ensure your safety underwater. You may prepare lots of diving equipment. But one of the most crucial for both your safety and enjoyment is your flashlight.

A dive light should always be on hand whether you’re diving at daytime or nighttime. Why? Underwater life is very colorful, but the deeper you go, the less color you see. Over one-half of the reds are gone in just the first three feet, while half of the yellow light is extinguished at nine feet. By the time you reach 30 feet, everything will look blue-grey.

Carrying a good dive light will solve this problem and allow you to enjoy the full spectrum of color and life underwater. On night dives, a good dive light is also essential for safety.

Generally speaking, according to actual needs, the lighting brightness, flashlight material, waterproof level and underwater battery life time of diving flashlights are important criteria for determining the suitability of a flashlight. But there are many types of diving, how do you find a flashlight that meets your needs? Here, we've compiled a quick guide to help you to select a proper dive light.

Diving Waters

First of all, according to different waters, diving can be divided into freshwater diving (diving in inland rivers and lakes) and saltwater diving (diving in coastal and saltwater lakes).

Depending on the water area, the requirements for the shell of the diving flashlight will also be different. For example, fresh water is less corrosive, and the requirements for the shell of the flashlight are lower. Ordinary oxidized aluminum alloy flashlights can be used. On the contrary, salty waters have high salinity and strong corrosion, so the ordinary oxidized flashlights are easy to be corroded of the oxide layer, which causes rust, water leak, and damage.

Dive time and depth

Then, according to the day and night, it can be divided into day dive and night dive. This division mainly needs to pay attention to the brightness of the flashlight. 

Daytime Dive

Everything begins to look gray at 30 feet underwater, even during the day. If the dive is not deep, 700-1000 lumens will be enough. 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. Such as XTAR D06 900 or D06 1600.  

Nighttime Dive

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, at least 1000-3000 lumens. 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 XTAR D36 5800lm or XTAR D26 1600lm, is recommended for maximum visibility.

Deep Diving

According to the different diving depths, it can be divided into shallow diving (within 30 meters) and deep diving (30-100 meters). The deep diving requires a torch with a bright and tight beam with a long battery life span, and also higher waterproof ability. 

Diving Activities

As there are different types of dive lights, you’ll need to consider what activities you plan to engage in so you can choose the best light source for your needs.

Spearfishing/Lobster Diving

If you’re planning on going spearfishing, for instance, then you’re better off with a dive light that can be mounted to your weapon or to a part of your body, leaving both hands free to operate your weapon and other tools. XTAR D26 1600 dive light is a great choice. For lobster hunters, a narrow beam light such as the XTAR WHALE D26 is a popular choice as it allows the diver to see fish or lobster hiding under a faraway ledge.

Cave Exploring/Wreck Diving

When your dives consist mainly of exploring underwater caves and mysterious shipwrecks, you may find a bright dive light with a wider beam angle more useful, if you do not want to get lost during your dive. XTAR D36 or XTAR D08 is recommended.

Technical Diving

Technical diving has work requirements, such as scientific research and photographying. In these situations, diving requires time, place and water depth. XTAR has many professional diving flashlights that can meet your needs.

For example, if you want to observe underwater creatures, such as fish and algae in shallow water, then you can choose a commen flashlight with 700-1000 lumens. If you are observing deep-sea fish, then you need to take a high-end flashlight which is suitable for underwater photographying.

Underwater Video

Without the use of a light, your ocean subjects lack color and are only illuminated by surface light. To capture video that reflects the true beauty of the ocean, select a light with a beam that is wide and even to fully illuminate your subjects. XTAR D36 dive light is great for your choice. It has a powerful 4200 lumens 120° flood beam and 1600 lumens 53° spot beam, with 9 lighting modes, giving you an excellent diving experience.

Still Photography

Water absorbs light incredibly quickly, so it's not uncommon for scuba divers to take photographs under the sea that lack the full range of color witnessed in person. here you will need to mount your light on strobes and prefer a wide, consistent and bright beam without hot spots to light your subjects. Spotting/focus lights for underwater photography must be small and have a narrow, but intense, beam. XTAR D08 dive light can be your best choice.

It has red light mode to help you get close to shy critters. At the same time, the red light can restore ture colors in the blue ocean which is absorbed strongly by the water. With a color rendering index of 95%, it brings outamazing colors in underwater photos and videos. It has two switches that is very convenient on the camera holder. And its four 18650 batteries ensure a long battery life span. This dive light had ever won the German Red Dot Design Award, is the best partner of underwater workers.

If you do not know, please remember that for your own safety you must carry two dive lights:  your main and an emergency dive torch. A primary dive light to illuminate your dive and a secondary light, or a back-up, in the event your primary dive light fails. Anyway, safety is always the most important thing during diving.