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Chris · 03-09-2002, 06:14 AM,

I have a little Ikelite PCa, is this going to be sufficient for MN diving, or did I waste my money? Rodale's rated it really well with the only downfall being the 2 or 3-hour battery life. I do like the size of it, but I'm willing to check into other options for a primary.

jmsdiver · 05-01-2002, 11:25 PM,

Hmmm.....what kind of diving are you thinking of? Personally, that light looks like a great backup. Try something a bit bigger, say a UK Sunlight C8. Bright, a decent burn time, dual bulbs (built in redundancy), nice weight, nice focus. I think that a light of a larger magnitude will suit your needs better here in MN.

tbrown · 05-06-2002, 10:41 PM,

I have one of those and I really like it. It works great for a back up. In a pinch I have used it as a primary, but the water needs to be fairly clear and the beam is a little tight. It still did the job though. I also like it during the day for peaking in holes and crevases. The beam is pretty focused and it helps see those way back places. It is small enough to fit nicely in your BC pocket, so I pretty much carry it on all dives.

igotoofar · 03-19-2003, 10:16 AM,

Which light do you carry as your primary light? HID or not? Canister or not?

HID Light cannon
DIR Wreck light
...

LKunze · 03-19-2003, 10:54 AM,

I have the UK C8 for primary and a UK SL4 for a backup. They are decent lights and worked fine for me last year.

JoelW · 03-19-2003, 11:03 AM,

If I need it I use a Dive Rite Wreck 1 with a 10W focusable HID. What goes with me on every dive is a Pelican Super Sabre with the plastic clip removed and a bolt snap added.

Joelw

Chris · 03-19-2003, 11:10 AM,

I also have the UK C8 and use a IkeLite PCa for a backup. Both worked well for me last year on a few night dives I did with GP at Wazee.

***jasondbaker*** · 03-19-2003, 01:44 PM,

I take a little Ikelite PCa with me on every dive. It works fine for daylight dives less than 80feet. Beyond that I use the UK SL8. I would love to have a HID canister, but that is not in the budget for this year. I have seen the light cannon -- bright light, but I question its durability.

DanL is making an inexpensive 20W canister right now. These can be made for under $100 if you know what you are doing and where to buy the parts. It's not as bright and penetrating as HID, but still not a bad deal.

Chris · 03-19-2003, 02:39 PM,

I'm just curious...
How much light do we really need in Minnesota diving conditions? Isn't too much light almost like turning on your high-beams in fog?

Sometimes it seams as though there is so much junk floating around in the water it's almost pointless to have 'too much' light. I find myself aiming the beam a little down or to the side sometimes so I can see.

LKunze · 03-19-2003, 02:57 PM,

Well...in low viz like Square or Perch in the summer time last year, I found that lights did little good. On deeper dives like up in Crosby or Ore Be Gone when you get down to -90 to
-100 feet they become necessary and work quite well because the viz is usually much better deeper since the water is colder and it's less disturbed and free of shallow water silting out and plankton, etc.