Professional and experienced divers will always tell you – “To see the beauty of the ocean, go deeper”. Why would they suggest leaving the comfort of the surface and going further underwater? The truth is most of the ocean’s beauty is lurking at or close to the bottom of the ocean.
It’s no news that light depletes underwater. The farther you go, the darker it gets, and if you’re in a cave, it’s even darker. For this reason, cave diving requires the use of a solid primary light.
About Primary Dive Lights
Primary dive lights can be used for both nighttime and daytime dives. Compared to other dive lights, they are usually brighter, larger, and hold a much bigger battery pack. They are usually built with durability in mind, and should be able to last for up to a decade with proper care. They can also be powered with either rechargeable or disposable batteries to steadily provide versatility and dependability to divers. The lamps can be tungsten, LED, or HID, but these days they’re usually LED. For the sake of comfort, most primary dive lights come in both lantern grip and pistol grip styles since both have better handling than stick lights. Some good primary dive lights are the 4TEC Light For Me, and the 21 Watt Halcyon HID.
White-outs With Primary Dive Lights
Even though primary lights feature bright beams and large power capacities, the ideal primary light should have most of its light output at the center beam. This is because too-bright lights can occasionally result in a white-out when in a cave, just like what happens when you have your car’s headlights suddenly turned on in a foggy or very dark area. These white-outs usually occur during most night diving trips in waters with poor visibility as well as in caves.
Most primary dive lights are designed to support a full dive, and can be powerful enough to enable your maneuverability underwater. For safety purposes, carry along a secondary or backup dive light. Cave primary dive lights keep your path lit wherever you are exploring underwater. However, keep in mind that your choice should be dictated by the environment you’ll be exploring, the water’s clarity, and how deep you plan to dive.