Once you have been on a number of dives and are really set on pursuing scuba diving as a hobby, it makes sense to have your own scuba gear. It can help give you more freedom to get out there and dive where and when you want, as frequently as you want.
This is also when it would be a great time to start investing in more diving accessories. Items and devices like scuba fins, dive computers, and dive regulators are all useful for enhancing your diving experience. In addition to experience, some scuba accessories are crucial safety and emergency tools. Have you ever thought about investing in a dive flashlight?
If you don’t have time to read the full post, here are our 3 most popular dive light picks:
- 1200 Lumens
- 270mins burn Time
- Two Power Levels
- Perfect for Travel
- 20,000 Lumens
- Primary Light Source
- Double O-Ring Seal
- 500 ft Depth
- 1500 Lumens
- 3 Brightness Levels
- 1 Button Control
- 80 CRI
What do you do though, if you want to start diving down and exploring an underwater cave or shipwrecks or just want to peer into those tiny gaps and cracks in rock formations and coral reefs? Perhaps night diving is something you have always wanted to try? Or in more critical emergency incidents, how do you signal your dive buddy?
You need a good quality dive light or scuba diving torch. To help you find the right one, 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
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Top 10 Best Dive Light Reviews
With so many different types of lights on the market, trying to figure out which is right for you could be more of a headache than you want to deal with. Do you need a dive light with a strobe on it? How many lights should you own? How do you take care of a dive light? There are so many questions. But, don’t worry, we can help.
In the following post, we’ve taken a lot of the hard work out of the dive torches buying process and are going to highlight 10 that we think are great investments. We will also give you some tips for buying lights and some advice on dive light maintenance so you know what you should be looking for.
1. Light and Motion SOLA Light 1200 S/F
Our Review Score
First on our list is the rather awesome Sola Dive 1200 Spot/Floodlight from Light & Motion that comes with two power levels. This flashlight features a 12-degree spot beam and comes installed onto a sturdy and robust hand mount for one-handed operation. At just 285-grams it is incredibly lightweight and compact.
This model is great as it doubles as both a spot and floodlight, you get an output brightness of 1200-lumens or 500-lumens respectively. The great thing is that you have the benefit of 60-degrees of completely clean and even flood scuba lighting that fills the whole of your vision field.
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With the two power levels, switching between the two light options is easy too. Powered by a rechargeable li-ion battery it offers you at least 270-minutes of percent power when used on the lowest power setting and has a sealed housing that protects it against flooding.
This is overall, one seriously tough customer and although it is quite pricey, the quality and features more than make it a worthwhile investment. Its dimensions are 8 x 8 x 6 inches long. Our favorite feature of this light has to be the grip or mount accessory it comes with.
2. Underwater Kinetics SL3 eLED L2 Dive Light
Our Review Score
A more cost-effective model is the next one we want to discuss – the SL3 from Underwater Kinetics. This may resemble the kind of flashlight you’d have in your toolbox, but it produces illumination light output of more than 425-lumens and its dimensions are 2 x 9.5 x 2 inches long.
This light features a more simplistic design, as the price would suggest and although you only get one power level, we still think this shouldn’t be too quickly dismissed. We think that the easy-to-use twist-action to switch it on this diving flashlight is a nice touch.
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Though it does not have an emergency flash mode, and although the waterproof rating of the plastic housing makes it reportedly suited to 500ft and no deeper, divers found it to be a great option.
Many would consider this to be just a back-up light, but for beginners, it could serve well as a main dive light due to the ease of operation it provides.
3. Tovatec Fusion 530 Video Underwater Flashlight
Our Review Score
This is not necessarily the most powerful scuba diving light on our list, but the Tovatec Fusion 530 compact light is still a good choice for many of you reading this post. It’s flexible, offers a good array of power options, convenient and ergonomically designed so that it is comfortable to use and fit in your BC pocket.
The powerful beam of light it produces is still strong enough for most general uses and works great as video lights providing 530-lumens of light output with a 12 to 100-degree angle.
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This model also features a magnetic switch slide with multi-function operation making it incredibly easy to use underwater. Coming in at just 1.9 inches long, and even though it would be considered by many experts to be a larger model than some out there, it is still very much on the small end of that scale.
Some divers rated it a little on the small size for waterproof torches. So if you’re looking for compact lights – then this is a great option for you. If you are after large lights to use when scuba diving, maybe something else will be better suited to you on our list.
4. ScubaPro NovaLight 720 Dive Light
Our Review Score
Regulars to this site or just scuba divers who know a thing or two will be familiar with the ScubaPro brand name. We have featured many of their products before and having that name stamped on any product certifies that it has been made to a reasonably high standard.
The Nova 720 dive light does not disappoint in this regard. It has an interchangeable light head and its all-aluminum body of this scuba dive torch means that it has a good waterproof rating of 300-meters.
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It is both sophisticated and simplistic and although it is the longest dive light on our list, measuring at a little more than 9-inches long, it is operated with the same ease as the above, thanks to its twistable head.
When it comes to the beam, it is a very concentrated and powerful spot beam with a good amount of brightness for the price.
5. Dive Rite LX20 LED Primary Scuba Diving Light
Our Review Score
Any light that offers up to 20,000 light output in lumens regardless of price is worth noting. With a 6-degree concentrated beam shape, the dive rite LX20 LED dive torch has a rotary magnetic switch and also features the Dive Rite exclusive QRM soft-hand mount which makes it an insanely bright handheld spotlight.
Chunkier in size than many on this list, with dimensions of 5.8 x 4 x 4 inches long, we would understand that some might be put off it, but this model weighs under the 1.5-pounds mark and the hand mount makes it incredibly comfortable to wear and use when scuba diving.
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This rechargeable dive torch has four batteries which makes it incredibly energy-efficiency and ready for use in any emergency situation. A downside admittedly is the fact that you only have the option of two power levels, but it’s penetrative strong beam more than makes up for that.
Rated very good by all kinds of scuba divers, most divers found it great for use in even the murkiest waters or environments with low sight and visibility.
6. Ikelite Gamma II Waterproof Dive Light
Our Review Score
Just look at it, before we go any further, just look at this beautiful piece of scuba divers lighting. The Ikelite Gamma II is an incredibly slick and narrow dive light that fits snuggly in your hand perfect for ease of use.
As well as the shape, it also has a lightweight construction that makes it hard to feel fatigued even if you have to use it for a long time. With dimensions of 5.6 x 1.4 inches long, its a great size.
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Another plus point about this model is the fact that the two CR123 batteries that power it give it more than 10-minutes’ worth of burn time. Add to that the fact that it is okay to use it down as far as 400ft and its an awesome choice for divers of all kinds.
Rated very good by divers all around, this model not only looks great it also comes in some awesome colors to match your scuba divers gear.
7. XS Scuba Divers LT360 Wide-Angle Light
Our Review Score
One of the major problems with many new dive light releases is that they have exceptionally powerful beams, but without the option to switch between different power levels when you need to reduce the light power for close-up work.
Whether that is writing on a slate or checking your own gear. With the LT360 from XS Scuba divers torches, that particular issue has been solved thanks to the inclusion of the magnetically controlled dimmer switch that is very intuitive and comes with the widest range in terms of power mode settings.
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Operating this dive light couldn’t be simpler, as you slide it on to switch it on and then the further along you slide it, the brighter the beam power is from the light head. The high power and intensity of the white LED this model feature travels farther underwater for maximum visibility and truer colors.
Although recommended for its ease of use, it may have some downsides, but the fact that it has a high-quality light beam and lumens of light output and is much easier to use than many others out there, divers found that it makes an excellent choice.
8. Light & Motion GoBe 1000 Dive Torch Review
Our Review Score
We are back with Light & Motion GoBe 500 for dive light number eight on our list and this is a bit of a beauty. Powerful, but small in size and produces a spot beam with an angle of 8-degrees.
It is also a versatile light output in that it provides four different power mode levels, with the lowest mode being the 35 lumens of light output operation mode that lasts for a maximum of 36-hours.
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Space is used to get the maximum benefit out of this high power light, with the magnetic switch featuring a light when the torch is on that also fulfills the role of a battery indicator. Smartly, the light changes through green to yellow and then to red, before flickering when the battery level is at its lowest.
Highly recommended for its ease of use, although it provides a sensational selection of options, you have to practice and familiarize yourself with the sequence. In terms of comfort, divers found that it is a dream to hold and use because of its rubbery pads.
9. ORCATORCH D550 Scuba Diver Light
Our Review Score
Next on our list is the cool ORCATORCH D550 Dive Light, a lightweight and portable dive light. The upgraded version features a Cree LED, and provides two different power mode settings, low which produces 376-lumens and high which produces 1000-lumens. You also get a benefit of an emergency flash strobe light or SOS flash also capable 1000-lumens of the light output of brightness.
This makes it ideal for various conditions and environments. It produces a beam with a wide-angle of 70-degrees and at the center, there’s also a more controlled and focused spotlight of 8-degrees.
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One of the especially cool things about this underwater torch is the wrist strap it’s attached to that has been designed to fit snugly and securely on either your right or left hand. ORCATORCH have put a lot of effort into designing and building a light that is made from aircraft-grade high-strength aluminum.
The light chamber is protected by the seawater-corrosion resistant diamond-grade hard-anodized finish. This is denser and thicker than the often-used premium type III military-grade materials used. It means it can work at water as deep as 150-meters making it a perfect choice if you are looking for an SOS flash.
10. SeaLife SL672 Sea Dragon 1500F UW Photo Video Dive Light Kit
Our Review Score
For our final product, we thought we would touch upon the subject of diving flashlights specifically made for making videos and taking pictures during dives. The Sealife Sea Dragon SL672 from SeaLife is an awesome choice of a scuba diving light.
To start with, it has the company’s own Flex-Connect system for attaching the light to a variety of trays, arms, and grips (it comes with a GoPro camera adaptor and array and grip for a smaller camera). This is a relatively simple-to-use light, which is what you often need when you are trying to navigate around the dark and deep waters.
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To operate it there is a giant red button that can be used to toggle between SOS flash, emergency strobe and 25%, 50% and 100% high power modes. You will notice, as is the case with most of the Sealife Sea Dragon line of lights, that it has a very sturdy and durable feel, with that anodized-aluminum head and the swivel mount built in that adjusts so easily while remaining put.
Size and shape wise, forget that this underwater flashlight is smaller than a regular soda can, it produces a light that makes it easy to get those shots and that footage you are after. If you’re in need of some GoPro camera filters make sure to check out our list here!
How to Chose 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.
Different Types of Lights
With a variety of lights available on the market, its 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.
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.
What is the Best Dive Light?
To answer this question you need to think about what you are looking for: are you in need of a primary dive light for night or low-light scuba diving, or a secondary one to use as a back-up should your primary torch fail, run out of batteries or simply for occasional use?
To summarise, the best light will be one that has a comfortable grip and easy for you to carry, provides a bright enough beam for the purpose, and has an angle of beam that is suitable for your type of diving. There is plenty of information to consider, such as ease of use, total output, mode, button, the type of switch and even the power mode.
Hopefully, with our guide, you’ll be able to find the best fit for any diver. There are dive lights that will fit every budget, so have a look around or ask your diving club for recommendations.
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.
You may also want to handle the light to see how heavy it feels and experience ease of use. See how easy it is to switch on and off by the button. The beam angle and output is also important as this determines the way you use the light.
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.
1 comment
I got an SD11 dive light from fenix store and it’s definitely worth the price. It’s very bright and can easily change its settings.