How to choose a good spearfishing torch

Spearfishing can be an exhilarating experience, full of mystery and expectation. But as it requires you do it underwater, you’ll need lights - not the lights just for your daily home use, but specialty dive lights. Then, what lumen torch is needed for spearfishing? Or what is a good torch? This guide will answer the questions.

How do I choose a flashlight for spearfishing?

Location of Fishing

Before spending any money on a dive light, you should consider where you want to spear fish and double check if spearfishing with a torch is legal in your area. Is the area particularly bright from streetlights or dock lights? Do you plan to do lake fishing or coastal night fishing? Is that a rocky area? Do you require any special features for your flashlight like red light or adjustable beam? Answering these questions before will help you decide what you need.

Brightness

Flashlight brightness is measured in lumens. A flashlight can be between 200 and 6000 lumens,  depending on its design. Some flashlight manufaturers may mark their flashlight as more than 10,000 lumens. Then, there is a question. What is the ideal brightness in lumens for a spearfishing light? For most night fishers, you will need 200 - 800 lumens. For simple day time hole searching, a light around 200 lumens is more than enough light. Many lights like XTAR dive lights have three to five lighting mode that can adjust the luminance, which meet your different brightness needs.

Type Of Light Color

In most flashlights, you can often find at least two different colors for your underwater hunting needs. A red light helps your eyes adjust to the dark and reduces eyestrain. At the same time, the red light can restore true colors in the blue ocean which is absorbed strongly by the water. And as you know, many marine creatures cannot see red light, it can help you to sneak up on shy critters. While white light helps you see well and can draw line baitfish towards your boat.

Beam Angle & Distance

Being able to control your light’s beam can be incredibly helpful in the water. A narrow beam can help you focus on specific spots and see further into the distance while a wide beam enables you to see more of your immediate area. Actually, if your light is too bright or penetrates significantly further than the range of your spear gun or hand grab range, you will scare things away before you can get close to them. This is the first consideration you should take. You basically want just enough light to see the fishing range and not much more.

In addition, you also need to consider the fishing water. If you are hunting in muddy water, a tight beam is needed to penetrate and throw as far as possiable. But if you are hunting in clear water, a wide beam with barely any hotspot will be good.

Modes Available

Carefully consider what you like to do on your fishing trips. Modern flashlights have a variety of lighting modes and functions to help you, typically between three and five or so per product. As a general rule, we recommend having as few as possible to avoid losing your catch and fit your different fishing environment needs. For example, you can use low lighting mode of 200 lumens for day time spearfishing, mid mode 800 lumens for night clear water, and high mode 1200 lumens for muddy water fishing.

Some dive lights also have strobe or SOS functions that can help you be seen in an emergency.

Convenience

All the flashlights need to be functional and convenient in practice. This means each function should be reached easily and quickly, the light body should be lightweight, and the head straps should be comfortable and adjustable if you use a headlamp.

One thing people often overlook in buying a dive light is the on/off switch and its placement. Just imagine it. You are holding a torch on one hand, and a spear gun on the other hand, then, how do you turn on the light when it has a tail switch or a rotation switch without scaring every fish in the area? Therefore, you will find that side switch is the best way to go, both side and push buttons are OK.

Rechargeable Vs. External Batteries

Typically, there are two different power modes for flashlights – rechargeable or external battery power. Rechargeable flashlights are economical in that you only need to buy the flashlight and remember to charge it before you leave on trips.

However, rechargeable flashlights may take a very long time to charge, maybe three to six hours and lose their brightness over time. The flashlights with external batteries will always be at full brightness, but they require you to carry backup batteries and are more costly over time. In order to solve this problem, many flashlight manufactures like XTAR sell flashlight set. That means there are a flashlight, several rechargeable lithium ion batteries and a battery charger in the package. In this way, you can reuse the batteries and chargers.

With external batteries, you can decide the power of your light. There are three popular rechargeable lithium ion battery sizes, i.e. 18650, 21700 and 26650. The maximum battery capacity can reach 5000mAh. You can see their specifications at the XTAR flashlight batteries.

Water Resistance

Since you are spending time on the water in the dark, high level waterproof is required for each dive light. So read carefully on the description of a product.

What is the best LED light for spearfishing?

XTAR DS1 - most recommended

Brightness: 1000 lumens

Light Color: White (5500-6500K)

Beam throw: 280m

Weight: 177g

Battery Type: 1 x 21700

XTAR DS1 dive light was special designed for spearfishing based on the suggestions from many experienced spearos all of the world. With a powerful 21700 battery, it can reach 2.5 hours run time under the max output 1000 lumens. A magnetic slide switch turns on the light and selects the brightness level immediately. What's more, this kind of switch makes no fear for water pressure. The 7-degree spot beam angle and quality Cree XP-L2 LED makes it has high effective light even in poorest underwater condition. The tiny body (15.6cm long and 177g weight) makes spearfishing more flexible.

XTAR Whale D26 - second recommended

Brightness: 1100 lumens

Light Color: Warm White

Beam throw: 310m

Weight: 248g

Battery Type: 1 x 18650/18700/26650

XTAR WHALE D26 is a great dive light for spearfishing. It has four lighting modes - turbo mode 1100lm for runtime 2 hours, high mode 600 lumens for 3.6 hours, mid mode 200 lumens for 11 hours, and low mode 60 lumens for 48 hours. It offers warm light which means the light is more red and very good for fish and lobster hunting. This dive light use unique side switch (XTAR patented) with a lock mode to keep easy use and avoid misoperation. There is also a battery power indication on the light.

XTAR D26 1600S - most powerful

Brightness: 1600 lumens

Light Color: White (6000K)

Beam throw: 538m

Switch: magnetic press switch

Battery Type: 1 x 18650/18700/26650; 2 x 16340/CR123A

XTAR D26 1600S dive light has four illumination levels - turbo mode 1600lm, high mode 650lm, mid mode 200lm, and low mode 60lm. The side switch on the middle of the flashlight body makes you to easy operate by one hand. Button lock function and power indication make it more convenient to use. The beam angle is 90 degrees and the spot beam angle is only 5 degrees. If you prefer the narrow beam and strong brightness, this light is a good choice for you.

XTAR D06 1600 - another powerful

Brightness: 1600 lumens

Light Color: White

Beam throw: 430m

Switch: magnetic press switch

Battery Type: 1 x 18650; 2 x 16340/CR123A

XTAR D06 1600 is a good dive light with max 1600 lumens. Smooth operation slide switch provides fabulous one-hand control, coherence of changing the brightness and no flicker. Beam angle is 55 degrees and spot beam angle is 3 degrees. Maximum beam distance up to 430 meters. Double layer body features is more durability and anti-corrosion. And the waterproof level is up to 100m underwater.

XTAR D06 900 - basic light

Brightness: 900 lumens

Light Color: White

Beam throw: 306m

Weight: 210g

Battery Type: 1 x 18650/18700

If you have a tight budget and don’t have a high requirement for the dive light, this XTAR D06 900 is your best choice. It can be one hand control with easy magnetic slide switch. The maximum brightness is 900 lumens. And you can adjust the lighting level as you like. It is also a lightweight dive light with 210g (battey is not included). The waterproof level is underwater 100m.

Spearfishing tips

If you are a newbie in spearfishing, here are some tips to help you have a safe and enjoyable trip on the water.

1. Plan your route, tell your family where you are going and when you will return.

2. Check the weather and waters status in events and prepare for it.

3. Dress appropriately for the weather.

4. Bring plenty of drink water to stay hydrated.

5. Bring enough backup flashlights, batteries and other accessories.

6. Use the white color of your light to lure in baitfish.

7. Prepare your equipment at home and pack them in an easily accessible and organized way.

8. Bring Shelter.

9. Bring a friend for a relaxing and fun fishing trip.

Conclusion

Although there are many dive lights and headlamps on the market that have great features for your fishing, we would recommend the XTAR dive lights as the best flashlights for night fishing and spearfishing. You can also talk with us about spearfishing and our dive lights in our Facebook group.