Had a primary light go dark at 80 feet on a Lake Michigan salvage job yesterday.

My backup was a cheap rental unit that flickered, so I had to surface early and lost half a day's pay. Anyone else have a go-to brand for a reliable backup light that won't let you down?

4 comments

4 Comments

rose_perry122mo ago

Yeah, that's why I never rent backup gear (agree with nancyramirez on that). I've had good luck with my simple UK Light Cannon, it's just a workhorse. Losing a dive over a flicker is the worst feeling.

thomasb4127d ago

Is that UK Light Cannon the big yellow one with the twist head? I had a buddy who swore by those things, said he dropped his off a boat once and it still worked after drying out. I've always been more of a backup-gear-as-primary guy myself, like I'll bring two lights and use the older one as the main just in case. But man, the rental shop thing is a whole other mess. I once rented a reg set in Cozumel that breathed like it was filled with molasses, had to switch to my own octopus just to get through the dive.

nancyramirez2mo ago

Lost half a day's pay" is the real kicker, isn't it? Makes you wonder if the rental shop should cover that when their gear fails.

kai8392mo ago

That's a brutal way to lose a dive. My backup's a basic but solid Princeton Tec that's never failed me.