High-Intensity Discharge (HID) dive lights use an electric arc to produce light in a bulb. Formally known as gas-discharge burners, these lights emit more light (up to five times more) at a given level of power consumption compared to ordinary halogen bulbs. Due to their power and cost, these lights are mainly used for technical diving, videography, and photography.
HID dive lights typically come in the form of a canister with a waist-mounted battery pack attached to a small light head that often has an adjustable beam. The flexible beam uses a reflector cone that one places over the light head and moves forward or backward along the head to scatter or focus the light. The beam is normally white in appearance with a green/blue tint depending on the model.
When the battery is empty, the HID bulb produces a pinkish or reddish color for a few minutes before it goes off. It’s recommended to switch off the HID light and change the battery when the light turns pink/red. Due to its delicate nature, divers should be careful when handling the bulb to avoid any damaging impact. Once the bulb is on, you should not run it outside of the water for more than two minutes; instead, turn it off immediately to maintain its lifespan.
Despite its delicate nature, most divers prefer HID lights to other diving lights because of their incredible strength and quality of light. An excellent example of this light is the Larson HIDH-3550 dual mode. It can operate on high mode to produce 4700 lumens and a light beam that travels up to 7000 feet. In low mode, it produces 3500 lumens and a beam reaching 5000 feet. On low mode, the light has a burn time of 110 minutes; on full power the burn time is 70 minutes. This light can be handheld or mounted. Due to its waterproof depth of at least 100 meters and the sealing against dirt, dust, and water intrusion, the flashlight can serve as a dedicated primary diving light.
