Dive marker lights are pretty different from your standard dive light, although they can be just as important. So what are they, and how are dive marker lights used? These little sticks come in batter-powered, water-activated, and snap chemical forms, and are available in a variety of colors and sizes.

There are water activated dive marker lights that turn on when they come into contact with water and turn off when they dry or when you take them out of the water. Since a dive marker light is not necessarily used for providing illumination, they have a burn time of approximately 500 hours.

The other type of marker light is simply a small, waterproof, battery-powered stick that can be used on dry land and underwater. These are typically used to mark an anchor’s location, meeting point, up-line or to keep track of your diving buddies in low visibility conditions. Such a tool is important because it can be used during the day as well as at night.

There are also chemical markers, which are quite popular. However, they are not as convenient as battery powered markers because they do not work in certain weather conditions or temperatures. Additionally, they are not environmentally-friendly when compared to battery-powered marker lights. Nevertheless, chemical dive marker lights produce more light than battery-powered versions, which a lot of divers prefer, especially when night diving or cave diving in groups.

Dive marker lights aren’t going to light up a huge area, and will only function as a secondary dive light if you’re close to the surface on a bright, sunny day. But when you’re trying to keep track of other divers, mark specific spots underwater or the way back to your boat, these little dive lights prove incredibly useful.