Editors Choice

Volador 1000

Best for Masks

Tonelife Mini

Best for Photography/Video

Light & Motion SOLA

Before choosing, consider how much use your dive light will get. Think about how often you dive, where you dive and when you use a torch. If you dive on holiday and would only use a torch for the occasional night dive while you are away, then one of the more value options might be more suitable. If you regularly dive, dive deeper and like to explore the site’s nooks and crannies, then you would be more likely to invest more. Considering these points, here are the top 8:

Dive Lights Under Review

Review

Light and Motion SOLA Dive Light (Best Dive Light for Photography & Video)

This dive light from Light and Motion is not the cheapest light on the market by any means but by all accounts it seems you get what you pay for.

Underwater photographers and videographers, love this light.

First thing to note is the hands-free aspect of the light with its strong harness for your wrist/forearm. There’s no need for BC tethering.

The housing is factory sealed which brings both positive and negative aspects. This makes it less prone to flooding, but also means that it has to return to base if and when the rechargeable battery eventually dies.

For photography and video lovers, this light offers a sixty degree beam of evenly dispersed light and has the versatility of flood or narrow spot.

The flood is 1200 lumens and the spotlight is 500 lumens. There are 3 power settings to both of these modes.

Things we like:

  • Powerful, yet light and compact
  • Hands-free
  • Great for photography / video

Things we don’t:

  • Price, but if you love your photography, could be worth the investment.

Specifications

Dimensions8 x 8 x 6 inches
Weight10oz , (incl battery and strap)
PowerRechargeable Li-ion battery
Beam1200 Lumens

Read Buyers Feedback >>


Volador 1000 Lumen Dive Flashlight (Editors Choice)

The Volador is a robust handheld torch. Its top brightness is 1000 lumens, and it has a further two options for dimmer light.

The LEDs have a 50-thousand-hour lifespan, and the runtime can be as long as 1.5 hours. The on and off switch is a push button in the base of the torch. The switch can be operated one-handed, and it’s also protected so that it’s difficult to accidentally turn it on and waste battery.

This light could be your primary light or an excellent back up light. Rated upto 150ft.

Things we like:

  • Easy on / off switch for one handed operation
  • Compact but powerful
  • Well made
  • Runtime of upto 1.5 hrs

Things we don’t:

  • Errrr!

Specifications

Dimensions146mm L x 31mm (Body Dia) x 41mm (Head Dia)
Weight180g (Excl batteries)
OperationMagnetic tail switch
Power1x 18650 Battery (included)
Beam1000 Lumens

Read Buyers Feedback >>


TONELIFE Mini Diving Mask Light (Best Dive Light for Scuba Masks)

The Tonelife weighs 90g and is 97mm long and 26mm round at its widest point.

It’s been designed to attach to your mask offering the underwater version of a headlamp.

Once attached you can rotate it so that it’s angled where you need it. With an AA battery the light is 120 lumens, and with a 14500 battery you get 570 lumens; enough to see but not blind your buddy.

This light is depth rated upto 200m (656feet) so it’s perfect for illuminating your gauges and buddy in limited light.

Things we like:

  • Leaves your hands free
  • 360 degrees rotation with one hand
  • Compact
  • Good depth rating

Things we don’t:

  • Lacks a little versatility but this is nit picking!

Specifications

Dimensions97mm L x 20mm (Body Dia) x 26mm (Head Dia)
Weight90g (Excl batteries)
Power1 x AA battery or 1 x 14500 li-ion battery
Beam120 lumens (AA battery) or 570 lumens (li-ion battery)

Read Buyers Feedback >>


ThorFire Scuba Diving Flashlight

This is a beast of a dive light with a robust aluminium body and double O-ring set up for maintaining a good water-tight seal.

It utilizes 3 XPL LED Lights that emit an extremely bright beam at 2000 lumens

It’s handle makes it easy to carry and is a really good all-round light to use for other activities such as camping and caving etc. 

The light does not come with a wrist strap but will fit comfortably into a BC pocket, which is handy if you’re on a boat dive and need your hands free for entry and exit. Using a Tether would be a good idea as losing any piece of kit to the ocean and watching it sink is agonising.

This light will operate to a depth of 70 meters or 230 feet.

Things we like:

  • Extremely bright
  • 3 power modes
  • 18 month warranty
  • Reports of exceptional customer service

Things we don’t:

  • No wrist strap

Specifications

Dimensions155mm L x 56mm (Body Dia) x 73mm (Head Dia)
Weight685g (Excl batteries)
OperationRotary switch
Power4 x 18650 3.7v batteries (Not Included)
Beam2000 Lumens

Read Buyers Feedback >>


Princeton Tec Sector 5 LED Dive Light

Holding this light is comfortable with its pistol grip styling.

It’s 5 LED lighting system throws out a reasonable 550 Lumens.

Probably the most convenient aspect to the Princeton Tec Sector light besides its pistol grip is the ability to perform momentary illumination. The quick momentary light can be activated by pulling the trigger halfway. Pulling the trigger fully, gives constant illumination.

Power is provided by 4 x c-cell batteries which provide 24 hours of light.

Things we like:

  • Comfortable pistol grip
  • Momentary illumination
  • Trigger lock avoids accidental switch on

Things we don’t:

  • No high and low switch

Specifications

Weight650g (Excl batteries)
OperationTrigger
Power4 x C-Cell Batteries
Beam5500 Lumens

Read Buyers Feedback >>


BlueFire 1100 Lumen Light

You’ll struggle to lose this light as it’s bright yellow and comes with a wrist strap.

It also uses a twist function to access two brightness levels and a strobe and is rated to 24m depth.

It’s really bright for its size and you have the option to use 3 x AAA batteries as well as the 18650 rechargeable. It’s a great multipurpose torch with applications beyond diving.

There’s also a lanyard wrist strap for extra security.

Things we like:

  • Great value
  • Wrist strap to give hands free
  • Bright

Things we don’t:

  • Advice is to switch on before entering water

Specifications

OperationRotary switch
Power18650 Li-ion battery or three AAA batteries
Beam1100 Lumens

Read Buyers Feedback >>


Goldengulf 1800LM Led Dive Light

The Goldengulf has five modes, three power modes and a strobe and SOS mode.

To change mode, you twist a ring which rests under the bulb shroud; the ring is marked to assist with this, but the markings are white on silver so can be hard to read. The light is bright and rated to 150m and can be used with 3 x AAA or a 18650 battery. The estimated run time is between 3 and 10 hours.

Things we like:

  • Bright
  • Rated to 150m depth
  • 3 – 10 hrs runtime

Things we don’t:

  • Twist function, markings hard to see

Specifications

Dimensions6.3 x 1.3 x 2.2 inches
Weight5.3oz
OperationRotary switch – twist function
Power1 x 18650 battery (included) or 3 x AAA batteries (not included)
Beam1800 Lumens

Read Buyers Feedback >>


ORCATORCH D520 Dive Light

With a 1000 lumens lamp and an underwater depth rating of up to 150 meters, the Orcatorch D520 is an extremely popular light with scuba divers.

The 5000k light temperature offers natural colours to underwater photography lovers.

So here’s the deal with the Orcatorch D520 – the on/off mechanism for this dive light is the screwing on of the torch’s head. Therefore you must switch the light on prior to entering the water and switch off when you exit by unscrewing the head. If you try to switch the light on/off while underwater, you risk flooding/damaging the light.

This could be a deal breaker for some but not be an issue for others. If you consider that the on/off mechanism is usually the area that breaks down first with many lights, their solution to this problem may just prolong the life of your dive light.

If your light in this case is ‘always on’ while underwater, it’s one less thing to think about and you can strap it to your wrist or other kit.

Things we like:

  • Bright
  • ‘Always on’ mode
  • Small & light
  • 150m depth rating

Things we don’t:

  • ‘Always on’ mode

Specifications

Dimensions134.5mm L x 24mm (Body Dia) x 30mm (Head Dia)
Weight113.5g (excl battery)
OperationScrew on Head to switch on
Power18650 Li-ion battery (included)
Beam1000 Lumens

Read Buyers Feedback >>


Best Dive Lights

How to Choose the Right Dive Torch

Buying a torch for diving feels like it should be a simple task, that is until you start looking at the options. There’s an unbelievably large range of lights available but to make your choice easier we have broken it down into the features you need to consider.

Bulb or LED

It’s rare to find a bulb torch now, they use more power and have a fragile filament which makes them less able to roll with the rough and tumble of diving. LEDs are more efficient, more reliable and last a lot longer. The number of LEDs will vary, but the brightness of the overall unit is measured in lumens.

Lumens

Lumens measure how much light you get from a torch. More lumens mean it’s brighter and fewer lumens mean it’s dimmer. It’s a good tool for comparison but remember that beam intensity also plays a role in the strength of the light.

With some torches you can change the brightness; this is a great feature for differing conditions.

Beam

A narrow beam will cut through in low visibility and is good for pointing when diving in daylight. A wider beam is great for night diving in good visibility as it will illuminate a larger area of reef. Like your car headlights in fog, a wider beam will rebound in bad or low visibility. Some torches allow you to switch between a wide and narrow beam which is handy for differing conditions.

If you’re looking for a torch to add color to GoPro footage, then you need to have a wide beamed torch that has a constant, not flickering, light. The light needs to be even without hotspots so that the footage is evenly colored.

Battery

Some lights come with a rechargeable pack, and some use standard batteries. Think about where you will use your torch and the availability for charging. With a torch that uses standard batteries, you can still buy rechargeables but have the flexibility to substitute when you can’t charge by mains.

Handle

A hand-held torch should come with a lanyard or have a way that you can easily attach one to it. This way you can wear it around your wrist or attached to your Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) and be able to drop it when needed. The grip of a hand-held torch should be comfortable for you to hold.

Some lights have a battery pack with a cable that runs to a torch head. The pack fixes to your tank, and you thread the cable and site the torch head, usually, on top of your wrist. This configuration is popular for technical diving or those dives that benefit from free hands. The pack offers a longer burn time, and the configuration leaves your hands free for other tasks.

Functionality

Although they are a simple piece of kit to use, you do want to make sure that you can use them easily with and without gloves. Understand if single-handed operation is important to you. Apart from a way to turn them on and off, there might be options to change the beam width and strength. Be cautious of those that twist the barrel to adjust. If twisting the barrel is the way that you would open them to change the batteries, it is easy to flood them accidentally. Look for switches that can’t be accidentally turned on too; you don’t want to waste battery.

Budget

You could spend a small fortune on a torch but remember that they are one of those pieces of kit that can be easily dropped or flooded.

Conclusion

Due to the risks of damage to kit when submerged underwater, the temptation is to spend as little as possible on your dive light. You must remember though that if you’re on a night dive and your light fails, the consequences can be a major issue. For this reason we recommend a good quality primary and reliable back up.

The truth is, you generally get what you pay for when it comes to most equipment.

As keen photographers, we especially love the Light and Motion SOLA Dive Light with its huge 60 degree flood. 

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