Dive Lights - All you need to know about underwater lights

Whether you are night diving, wreck diving or cave diving a dive lights must be one of the most important pieces of scuba gear.

During these activities you will need a good reliable light source to read your gauges, find your way or make your position known to your buddy. Without a proper scuba diving light, If you are not in the vicinity of the ascent line, it will be difficult in gauging to make a slow and controlled ascent in dark waters.

Besides their obvious use for night diving, cave diving and wreck diving, scuba diving lights can be extremely useful when diving during broad daylight to explore cracks and crevices or to restore the natural colors which are lost as you dive deeper.

Unlike conventional torch lights, the most important requisite of diving lights are that they must be both watertight and pressure proof. Dive lights remain watertight by using a O-ring seals which should be periodically inspected for any wear and tear as part of your diving lights maintenance procedures.

Additional underwater lights.

An important scuba diving safety factor is that because even the most reliable scuba diving lights can fail, it is important that every diver carries a backup scuba diving light known as a secondary dive light. This is especially important during night dives that a diver is protected in the eventuality that the primary diving lights fail.

Great for exploring cracks and crevices, typically Secondary scuba lights are much more lightweight and compact in size that they can easily fit into your pockets of your BCD.

Extra safety can be ensured by attaching a small light beacon to a divers snorkel or tank valve so that you make your position known to your buddy.

Another type of diving light often used by divers are chemical lights. These underwater lights use a chemical reaction that can be relied upon even in the unlikely failure of both your primary and back up light. Great as orientation markers can be attached to marking buoys, and ascent/descent lines.

Tips on how to maintain your diving light

After use you should wash your diving lights thoroughly in fresh water along with the rest of your equipment, preferably by letting them soak an hour or more. Following the rinse/soak, open each light and remove the batteries, recharge them and store them separately.

Clean, lubricate and inspect the O-rings replacing any that are showing any signs of wear and tear.

It is recommended to clean the battery and electrical contacts if possible with a pencil eraser.

Finally remember to store your dive lights in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

When not in use, just like any other flashlights, it is important that you always store your scuba diving lights without their batteries to prevent any possible corrosion from battery leakage.

Accidentally flooding your scuba diving light

For more on underwater lights, be sure to check out our :

Buyers guide to scuba diving lights

In the eventuality that your diving light should accidentally flood, immediately turn it off (If you are underwater, first switch to your backup light and then off the flooded dive torch).

When on land, open and drain the light, and rinse the interior and exterior with fresh water. Throw away any disposable batteries. Remove the O-rings and if possible rinse the interior and rechargeable batteries with alcohol to aid drying. Drain off the alcohol and complete the drying with a hair dryer on a low heat.

It is best advised to then return your dive lights to your dive store or the manufacturer for service.