Reviewed by our gears Geeks:
The Best Dive Lights For Every Budget 2020
Our experts at work
We gave our Gear lovers one job:
Test 30 different Dive Lights and write reviews of the best.
The result is 15 of the best Dive Lights on the market today.
Christos Nicolaou
Divermaster & Writer
A passionate divermaster with a love for preserving the underwater world.
Torben Lonne
Editor at DIVEIN.com
Torben is a dive nut, with a passion for traveling and gear.
Dive lights are essential tools used by divers on night dives, cave dives and wreck dives. They are also very handy when exploring crevices and swim throughs on reefs and dive sites. That said, whether you’re an experienced diver or just starting out, a good dive torch is an important safety device in any diver’s arsenal.
The best dive lights are easy to carry, have a strong bright light (this is measured in lumens) and don’t let water in. For more information on other essential scuba diving gear, check out our Best of guide to Underwater Cameras, Dive Knives and DSMB.
Best Dive Lights 2020
It can be difficult to know the right dive light for you, so we’re here to help you with what you’re looking for. These torches are specially designed to assist you with illuminating the underwater environment. For your consideration we have the best budget, mid-range and high-end dive lights.
See our Top 10 guide below:
Top 10 Best Dive Lights of 2020
- Orcatorch D550
- Scubapro Nova 850
- Mares torch EOS 20RZ W/Lock
- Sealife Sea Dragon mini 1300
- Big Blue AL12000NP-II
- Kraken NR 2000
- Light and Motion GoBe 500 spot
- Diverite LX20
- Underwater Kinetics Aqualite Pro S
- Tovatec Fusion 3600
Still unsure as to what dive light to choose? Read our tips on buying the best dive light in the buyer’s guide section.
Best Budget Dive Lights
We’ve gathered a selection of the best budget Dive Lights. All are in good quality, but at a low cost.
Best Mid-Range Dive Lights
You’re diving a lot and you want a dive light that meets your needs. Here are the best mid-range dive lights.
Best High-End Dive Lights
Best high-end dive light needs to be durable, reliable and easy to use. Here are the best choices in the tech scuba dive light selections:
Best Canister Dive Lights
Canister dive lights are very useful and can last longer than regular dive lights while producing a brighter light. Here are the best choices in the tech canister dive lights selections:
Check out our Featured Dive Lights
The Nova 850 is an amazing dive torch for any diver looking to have a reliable and versatile dive light. This relatively new product sports 850 lumens and is super easy to use. I love the sleek and lightweight design made from heavy-duty aluminum. Scubapro is one of the most well-known brands in the scuba diving industry and they make lots of different accessories for divers including BCD’s and Masks. The Scubapro Nova 850 is one of the best dive lights as it is built to last. This Mares torch is one of the bulkier dive torches, however the light emitted offers a luminous intensity that is second only to the Tovatec Fusion 3600. With a whopping 2300 lumen output, if you’re looking for the brightest dive light… this is the one for you. This dive light is great for dive instructors and divemasters alike, who need a strong bright and wide light in order to illuminate the environment while leading dives. With a strong brightness and long-range narrow beam the Sealife Sea Dragon mini 1300 is one of the best dive lights currently available on the market. Using the latest Luxeon V LED light, this device is able to project light at a range in order to see creatures and other divers from a distance. Additionally, the Sea Dragon mini is one the lightest dive lights around. Big Blue is a brand known for producing high quality dive lights, their Big Blue AL12000NP-II model is a great device that many divers rely on for their night dives. This torch produces a soft but strong light and can last up to 20 hours on its lowest power setting. The battery life of this torch makes it an ideal back-up torch and as such I recommend pairing it with a wide range beam torch like the Mares torch EOS 20Rz. One of the best dive lights on the market for price, the Kraken NR 2000 offers seriously bright illumination and doesn’t compromise on range. This model of the Kraken dive lights is the favorite of wreck divers as it is compact and tough and is known to be very reliable. The Kraken NR 2000 is everything a recreational diver can ask for in a dive light. For beginner divers looking for an all-round torch that can be used above ground as well as underwater, the GoBe 500 is the perfect instrument. With multiple mounting options and custom optics, the GoBee 500 is extremely versatile and is a good first dive light. If you’re a dive centre looking to buy a large quantity of standardized dive lights for training beginners and night dives, look no further. This reliable dive light is affordable and stylish. The Diverite LX20 offers a constant current, meaning that the brightness of the light emitted stays consistent until the battery runs out. Mainly used by experienced divers as a primary dive torch with a glove mount, this compact dive light is perfect for tech divers and cave divers. The Diverite LX20 has earned its place on this list for its quality and reliability. From Underwater Kinetics comes the Aqualite Pro S. This dive light is designed to work for underwater photography as it produces a soft light that allows you to capture creatures with your dive camera. This dive light works perfectly when paired with a GoPro and is often used by experienced divers to capture underwater videos and stills. Its ergonomic grip and light weight makes it easy to handle and maneuver. Orcatorch is one of the most reliable brands for dive torches. This model of the Orcatorch is known for its long battery life and bright light that is emitted in the form of a strong narrow beam. This means longer bottom time and peace of mind when on a night dive. This torch is recommended for divers of any level who want a reliable torch by their side when exploring wrecks or caves. The reliability and quality of this product places it at the top of our top 10 best dive lights list On this list is one of the most popular dive lights, the Tovatec Fusion 3600 is the brightest light on our top 10 best dive lights guide. Using a Cree LED light this dive torch can turn night into day and provides a focused beam to see some 200ft / 60m into the distance. Although this torch is heavy and bulky it provides a very strong quality light and for this reason it is popular with divers of all levels.
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Check out our Featured Canister Dive Lights
Although canister dive lights are mainly used by tech divers for cave diving or wreck diving, they are very useful and can last longer than regular dive lights while producing a brighter light.
Diverite continues to produce industry leading products, and the EX35 is no different. With 4300 lumens of output emitted from a Cree XHP35 HI bulb this product is state of the art. Coming in at just under 2kg, it is slightly heavier than most other canister dive lights but for good reason. At max power this dive light has a runtime of six hours. The Light Monkey 50W HID is a very useful tool for cave dives, as it gives of a bright and consistent light perfect for tech divers. Light Monkey has designed the 50W HID to have an adjustable beam in order for divers to be able to select the width as well as the angle of the light beam. Using a 20 amp hour lithium battery pack, the 50W HID has a burn time of 4 hours. Additionally, the solid factory sealed canister protects the battery from flooding. The most lightweight dive light in the canister category, the Wolfbeam TL3302 runs for 12 hours on its lowest setting and can emit 3400 lumen. This product features 5 light modes, from strong to weak light and includes a strobe setting. Considering the size of the canister and light, what you get with the Wolfbeam TL3302 is a lightweight and powerful light. I personally like the matt black finish that means you can camouflage the canister with your wetsuit for sleek diving. Hands down one of the best dive lights in the industry is the Orcatorch D630. With 5 hours of runtime at its brightest setting emitting a whopping 4000 lumens, the Orcatorch D630 does not disappoint. As soon as you pick this unit up, you get the impression of quality. This dive light is a favourite for cave divers as well as professional divers when surveying areas for work. The Mares XR DCTV is a sleek, well designed canister dive light. This dive light is one of the best as tech diver’s value the product’s quality and reliability. Additionally, the Mares XR DCTV is relatively lightweight for a canister dive light, which means that you don’t have to worry about packing much more weight. Overall it is a strong contender in its industry, although it lacks slightly in lumens, meaning the light isn’t as bright as most other dive lights in its category.
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What to look for when buying a Dive Light?
When looking to choose the best dive light, there are a number of key factors that should be taken into consideration. For example, what you will be using the dive light for (photography, leading dives or personal use) and the type of diving you will be participating in (night dives, wreck dives or cave dives). Therefore, the things to consider when buying the best dive light for you are:
Light Intensity is measured in lumens and is very important for things like underwater photography, where you don’t want a strong light. Normally you want to go with something with around 1500 to 2500 lumen of output.
Light Beam varies from wide beam to narrow, focused beams. Our recommendation is to go with a torch that has options for different beam widths, such as the Mares torch EOS 20RZ W/Lock.
Dive Light Battery can come in rechargeable and disposable battery models. I personally like the disposable battery models as rechargeable batteries eventually stop holding their charge. That said, if you have a power bank you can charge your torch between dives. Another important point to note is that the best dive lights have a constant circuit, meaning that the brightness of the light remains consistent and doesn’t falter.
Dimensions of the dive light can be important when it comes to the handling of the torch. A heavier and bulkier dive light might get in the way of your other accessories, so I always recommend going with a lightweight flashlight like the Orcatorch D550.
Do you have a favorite Dive Light?
What do you love about it?
Let us know in the comments below what you think makes the perfect dive light.
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