Dive lights, Dive lites..No matter how you spell it

Dive lights are an important part of the scuba diving experience. Even in the daytime, a dive light can enhance a divers vision by shedding light onto a potential artifact or yummy lobster. Most often, I am asked what type of light should a diver buy. And most of the time divers are asking about brand. There are a lot of good brands out there and you can decide which one is right for you if you understand what you will need it for. The way I see it there are 3-4 types of dive lights. A small light 2AAcells, a small backup light, a handheld primary and a canister light.
The First light, a small 2AAcell light that retails for $20 is your best friend. You will get more use out of this light than any other because it is small and accessible. This is the light to use when peering into small caves and holes during the daytime. I keep mine on a ripp cord attached to my BC so i can drop it in case i need to rush to grab a lobster.
The secind light, a backup to your primary should have 4C batteries. This is the light you are going to use if your primary light craps out during a night dive. It won't illuminate as much as the primary but it will get you home with confidence.
The third and fourth lights are primaries. They are hand held and canister lights. A hand held haologen light should be at least 20watts and should operate off of 8 C batteries. The burn time should be about 2 hours. It is important to use recharcheable batteries for this kind of light because it will burn a little brighter and last longer. And you will spend a lot less on batteries.
HID 10watt lights are also made in the pistol style hand held models as well. These are fantastic lights and worth every penny. They cost a little more than the halogen but you will see much better and in true color as the halogen bulb kind of adds a yellow hue to evereything. I still recommend you invest in rechargeable batteries for this style light as well.
The last kind of light is the canister. The most popular canister lights are the 10watt HID models. With small canisters that attach to your tank and a tiny manuverable light head that burns for 4 hours an a charge, it is no suprise that they are the new great thing in scuba diving. This type of light is going to cost you triple of the best hand held but you will make up for it in cost of batteries and enjoyment of youir dive.
That's the short of it. If you have any questions feel free to email me at info@longislanddiving.com or visit the site if you would like to find out more about our night diving experiences. www.longislanddiving.com