A torch that literally fits in the palm of your hand, it still boasts an impressive 600 lumens of light output. At 5.3 inches long and 1.3 inches wide, and weighing only 3.4 ounces, that is truly impressive. Just as impressive, though, is how easy it is to use, despite the minute size. Designing backup torches is always a balancing act between making the light small enough to fit into any pocket while not making it so small that it is difficult to use, particularly if it’s intended for divers wearing thick gloves.

The torch turns on by twisting the head, a definite improvement on a more traditional flashlight button-style function, which can be hard to operate with thick gloves.

The light beam’s angle is 75 degrees, which allows for a pretty concentrated beam while still providing some peripheral light. It has two power modes, putting out either 100 percent or 40 percent of maximum effect. Which you choose greatly affects battery life.

The torch accepts either standard CR123 batteries or rechargeable 18650 Li-Ion batteries. The former is included with the torch, while the latter is an optional extra. With the standard batteries, the torch can shine for 60 minutes at 100 percent power or 150 minutes at 40 percent. With the Li-Ion batteries, those time frames are boosted to 100 minutes at 100 percent, and 250 minutes at 40 percent. In any case, it will suffice for most divers on a single dive as the primary torch. It’s also plenty as a backup, wherein you would deploy it only if your primary fails. Even if you’re inside a cave or wreck, there will be plenty of time to reach the surface (unless you’re doing some extreme cave dives, that is).

If you’re an underwater photographer, you can attach the Sea Dragon Mini to a variety of cameras, including the GoPro, by using the included adapters and mounts. Sealife produces a range of extras to add functionalities to the torch, including a hand mount that allows you to strap the torch to the back of your hand, similar to using a Goodman handle on a canister light. This is very useful if this is your primary torch, or if it’s a backup for cave or wreck dives, where being able to use both your hands while holding onto your torch is highly valuable.

Wrap-up

8ScubaDiverLife score

SeaLife Sea Dragon Mini 600

Compact, only 5.3 inches long
Lightweight, only 3.4 ounces
Good beam angle of 75 degrees
High output of 600 lumens
Long-lasting, up to 250 minutes with optional extra rechargeable battery
Includes mounts for underwater cameras

Price is a bit high
Built-in rechargeable batteries would have been preferable at this price point

The combination of size and output is a definite sales point for the torch, but the price might be a bit too steep for some. At $130, it’s not the cheapest backup torch out there, but it does sport some impressive features.

The post Review: SeaLife Sea Dragon Mini 600 appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.

These lights also represent a huge advancement in the dive industry, as they’re the first ones specifically designed to work both underwater and above water — that’s right, they won’t burn your hand off if you need to use them above water. They’ve also been built so that you can change the light heads, offering many more options for outdoor activities.

What lamp heads can you choose from?

GoBe+ 700 Wide

Featuring a 60-degree flood beam, optimized to fill your entire field of vision with smooth, even lighting. Perfect for illuminating base camp, taking videos or photos, or exploring open areas.

GoBe+ 700 Spot

Featuring a powerful 20-degree beam, optimized to eliminate hot spots and provide an excellent balance of beam distance and viewing angle for a variety of uses.

GoBe 500 Spot

Featuring a 20-degree beam, optimized to eliminate hot spots and provide an excellent balance of beam distance and viewing angle for a variety of uses. The only difference between this one and the 700 Spot it the lumen power.

GoBe Nightsea

The GoBe NightSea delivers the perfect wavelength of blue light to excite otherworldly fluorescence. Features a phosphor flip-cap to easily switch between the blue NightSea and a white navigation light.

GoBe+ 500 Search

Optimized to deliver maximum penetration with a tight 8-degree spot beam, the GoBe+ 500 Search is ideal for any situation where both beam distance and run-time are key, such as search-and-rescue, signaling or technical/cave diving.

GoBe+ Red Focus

The GoBe+ Red Focus offers a pure, red wavelength of light in a perfectly smooth 60-degree beam, with discreet visibility and preservation of your night vision. This is an excellent focus light for wildlife an underwater photography, or for enhancing your night vision.

GoBe+ Action Camera Kit

I was lucky enough to test out some of these lights on my last dive trip. The first set up I used was the GoBe+ Action Camera Kit (pictured above). This kit comes with two GoBe+ 700 wide lights, two bar mounts and an action camera tray with two locline mounts. This is definitely a great out-of-the-box lighting solution for any GoPro user; the two 700-lumen lights do a great job lighting up-close environments and have a 60-degree beam. On full power, these lights can last over 1-and-½ hours (self-tested). 

GoBe Focus

Next I tested the focus light, which offers a 60-degree beam of pure red wavelength. Why would a diver want to use this? Because red light is great for night dives and photography, and red light doesn’t disturb animals at night. Mandarinfish, for example, appear at sunset — for only seconds sometimes — to mate. It is nearly impossible to focus without a light during sunset, and normal light from the sun or from a yellow fluorescent light can be a huge deterrent for mandarinfish when it comes to making an appearance. Since these lights can be used topside as well, you could use the red light for camping, night walks, or any other nighttime activity you can think of. All the bases have the same power levels of low, medium and high, and I was very pleased with it on night dives, where I could see my subject perfectly through my lens while only using red light.

GoBe Search

The GoBe Search light is best used for activities like searching or cave diving, with its much narrower beam angle of 8 degrees. This concentrates the beam of light significantly so you can highlight a specific area.

The following chart explains the different types of lights in the GoBe line:

Once it’s time to cool down, the light will circulate air and water through ventilation ports behind the light head and through the body of the torch, and thusly the GoBe is able to provide efficient thermal management underwater and on land.

“GoBe is the culmination of 24 years of design expertise in underwater and bicycle light engineering,” says Daniel Emerson, CEO of Light & Motion. “GoBe’s factory sealed, external charging design goes anywhere you can go.”

As for charging, the GoBe provides a factory-sealed system, so you never have to open the light and change batteries. Simply slide on the USB cable and plug it into any USB port.

Overall the GoBe system is a worthwhile investment for any diver. You can use these lights in and out of the water, switch the light heads to provide the specific lighting you need for almost any scenario.

You can buy these lights online at LightandMotion.com 

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Unboxing
The Compact 1600 comes, like all other torches from WiseDive, in a black foam box, accented with an orange zipper. The foam inside is cut out to hold the torch, the charger cable, and the docking station used for charging. Unfortunately, the company uses the same box for all their torches, meaning the inside compartments are cut to hold either the Compact or their standard dive torch and canister lights. So the foam doesn’t fit either one perfectly, which is a bit of a shame. The box holds the Compact just fine, so from a protection point of view, there’s nothing wrong with it — but still, it detracts some from the feeling of exclusivity. The torch itself feels extremely well made; its all-metal exterior makes it feel robust, even indestructible. It’s comfortably light, without seeming flimsy.

Charging
Users charge the torch by removing a small plug in the base of the unit and then mounting it in the supplied docking station, which is then plugged into a wall socket. A light ring at the base of the torch shines orange while the torch charges, and turns blue when it’s through. A full charge takes roughly three hours, but in return provides a whopping 20 hours of light at 20 percent output.

Use
Users operate the torch by a simple, single button. Press once to turn on, once to turn it off. If you depress the button and keep it down, the torch cycles through various output levels. The torch comes with five standard output settings, 20 percent, 40 percent, 60 percent, 80 percent and 100 percent, but the supplied software allows you to program additional steps if you prefer (for Windows PCs only). The torch also features a nifty flight mode, where four consecutive presses of the button followed by turning the torch off locks it, and makes it impossible to turn it on by accident. To unlock, press four times and turn the torch on. The torch also has a strobe effect, if you really, really need to catch someone’s attention.

The light on the base that indicates charge level while charging also lets you know how much charge remains, via a series of flashes in blue and orange. This takes some memorization, but works well, and saves you the risk of running out of light suddenly during a night dive.

Output
The torch output is impressive. According to the manufacturer, it clocks in at 1200 lux at 5 meters on 100 percent. Suffice it to say that it has enough light for anyone’s needs. My Compact managed to outshine a number of canister lights on a series of night dives, and even at 20 percent you’ll get more light than most torches of this size at 100 percent. The torch definitely lives up to its slogan, “the cure for darkness.”

Bottom line
The Compact 1600 is a relatively small and lightweight torch, and could work equally well as a primary light and a backup, though perhaps it is a bit large for backup needs. Its optimal use is probably as a primary light used for travelling. It’s small and lightweight, and it offers plenty of output, which makes it perfect for traveling divers. And with 20 hours of light on a single charge (and 50,000 hours on the LEDs), you could spend an entire vacation diving without charging once. The main drawback is the price tag. As all the WiseDive torches, the price is steep and the Compact 1600 is no exception — expect to pay $617 for this baby. For the discerning diver, however, it is a great choice. wisedive.com

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From the military to diving

WiseLED, the Danish producer of LED-based flashlight, is the company behind a recent addition to the high-end selection of dive torches called WiseDive. Originally made for military and security personnel, WiseLED’s tactical flashlights have been used by divers for some years now thanks to their sturdy build and extremely high output (the first torches had a whopping 1500 lumen output, and that has only increased since). A few divers have, however, reported various problems with the torches, which can probably be explained by the fact that the torches weren’t actually intended for diving. They just happened to be so sturdy that you could bring them underwater with (almost) no problems.

From WiseLED to WiseDive

As a response to the reports from divers, WiseLED recently launched a new subseries of torches called the WiseDive. Designed specifically for diving, this series of six torches includes hand-held, flashlight-style torches, three canister-style torches and a backup torch. And, true to form, the output for each is stunning (almost literally):

• WiseDive Handheld: 3300 lumens
• WiseDive Handheld Tech: 2800 lumens
• WiseDive Canister 3300: 3300 lumens
• WiseDive Canister 5000: 5000 lumens
• WiseDive Canister Tech: 2800 lumens
• WiseDive Compact: 1600 lumens

Very similar in design, the torches are all made from shock-resistant plastic and aluminum and coated with a non-slip surface. All the torches are black with a few colorful touches in the details. And the torches are all rechargeable (note that burn time per charge varies with the model due to the difference in output).

A first hand experience with the WiseDive Handheld 3300 Lumens

On a recent dive, I had the chance to try out the Handheld 3300. While I used to have a WiseLED Tactical torch, I’ve been diving with dive-style torches for a while now, so when I got the chance to do a night dive with one of the new WiseDives, I jumped at it.

My first impression was how surprisingly light it is, considering the materials. On land, the torch feels like a good, sturdy, high-quality flashlight, similar to a MagLite. And it works on land as well as in the water thanks to an innovative cooling system that prevents the torch from overheating, (a common problem when dive torches are used above the surface).

This torch’s output is nothing short of astounding. Less powerful torches seem to simply drown out when you turn on the WiseDive, and one of the boat crew joked that I had “brought the daylight.” Luckily, the output on these torches can be dimmed. And you can connect the torch to a computer to program the intervals however you like. Defaults are 100, 80, 60, 40 and 20 percent intervals. Other features of the torch include strobe light (not to be used around epileptics) and an automatic function that beams S-O-S in Morse code.

The torch is a breeze to use underwater, with all the light you could possibly want – even at 60 percent. A colored light indicator at the base of the torch indicates battery life (two blue flashes = 80 to 100 percent of capacity, four blue flashes = 60 to 80 percent, two orange flashes = 40 to 60 percent, etc.), meaning you shouldn’t ever just run out of power. And while the strobe function is a good way to attract attention, I found it to be a bit of an annoyance – and even more so when you’re on the receiving end of the flashing light. I recommend using this feature for emergencies only, and not as a way of simply letting your fellow divers know you’ve seen something interesting.

Of course, since this torch is hand-held it means that the advantages of a canister torch are gone – since you’re forced to hold the torch in one hand, you’ll only have a single hand free. A canister torch with a Goodmand handle, on the other hand, leaves you with both hands free, for the most part. And of course you can solve the problem altogether by opting for one of WiseDive’s canister models instead of the handheld version that I tested.

Bottom line

So what’s the catch? Well, the price for one. These puppies aren’t cheap. The cheapest full-sized handheld (not counting the Compact) is the one I used, the Handheld 3300, which will set you back about $980. And the top-of-the-line canister, the Canister Tech, will set you back about $1,700! But for the money you get potentially one of the brightest dive torches on the market and, provided they’ve solved the problems of their previous models, also one of the sturdiest.

Granted, the kind of power these torches have is probably more than what most divers will ever need. But not all dive gear is based on what we know we need but rather on what we think we might need. And if you, like me, think you might one day need to bring the daylight to a night dive, this is the torch for you.

(As an illustration, mostly of the latter point, it could be fun to use this strip from the comic XKCD: https://xkcd.com/909/. It is licensed under Creative Commons).

The post Wisedive Dive Torches, Perhaps the Brightest Dive Torches in the World. appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.

Seems pretty straightforward. What’s not so obvious is why colors drastically change underwater, even in relatively bright environments. Even more strange, colors selectively change at different depths. So what’s going on, and why would a dive light help when there is enough light to see clearly?

Let’s take the way-back machine back in time to high school science class. Don’t worry, we won’t stay long. Do you remember the experiment where visible light was separated into a rainbow (or spectrum) of colors with a prism? If your science teacher was really good, they used a second prism to recombine the rainbow and form a visible white light beam again.

The natural light we see from the sun is actually a blend of a number of different colors. Your teacher may have covered ROY-G-BIV, the acronym for the seven conventional colors of the light spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet). An object’s color is determined by the color of the light spectrum the object reflects to our eyes. A red fish appears red because it reflects the red light band to our eyes (and absorbs all the other color bands). Check out Wikipedia’s entry on color if you’d like to read even more science on this topic.

Enough of high school. Now we’re back to present day and the question of why different colors disappear at different depths. It happens because water absorbs some parts of the color spectrum faster than others. As you descend from the surface, red is the first to go. A red object will appear blackish-green because light from the red color band is gone. Since light from the other members of the color spectrum is still present at this shallow depth, the other colors appear as their natural color. As we descend deeper, the other color bands are filtered out sequentially – first orange, then yellow, then green and blue. The result is an underwater world that is devoid of its true color.

This is where dive light magic enters the conversation. Dive lights are not just for diving in dark places. Under water, the beam from a dive light replaces missing color bands and helps restore the color spectrum. The brilliant colors of the tropical world are revealed, and the beauty of the sea appears. Like with sunlight, water will adsorb your dive light beam over distance. So the brighter your dive light is, and the closer you are to your subject, the more natural and realistic colors will appear to be.

If you haven’t looked at dive lights lately, you’ll be amazed at how much they’ve improved. The new breed of LED dive lights are a giant step forward from incandescent (halogen/xenon) and HID dive lights. Relative to their predecessors, LED dive lights have exceptional battery life, superior durability and extended lamp life. So bring a dive light along on your next dive, and see the wonderful world you’ve been missing.

To read more about dive lights and related scuba stuff, add Dive Lights Direct to your Google+ circles.

Original Image Source: NOAA

Additional Image Modification: Dive Lights Direct

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