Best Scuba Diving Lights

A good dive light makes many types of diving possible — from wreck penetration to night diving — and helps keep you safe. Our 2019 scuba diving Gear Buyers Guide will help you find the best scuba diving light that fits your style.

This versatile 1,200-lumen compact torch (5.2 inches long) comes with a removeable light diffuser and a sliding shade. The T-60's magnetic switch lets you easily cycle through four brightness settings — high, mid, low and SOS flash — with a simple twist. The torch's aluminum housing is lightweight and rugged, and it's rated waterproof to 100 meters.

The compact R15 dive light delivers 900 lumens of bright light. Divers can adjust the intensity by using a magnetic switch, and lock it in to avoid accidentally powering on the light. The width of the R15's beam can also be adjusted from 12 degrees to 75 degrees. The body — rated to 100 meters — is made of rugged aluminum, and the light head is fitted with tempered glass.

With the R40 dive light you can choose from three modes to suit any dive situation: maximum power, reduced power and flash. You can also adjust the light beam from a narrow 12 degrees to a wide 75 degrees. Featuring three Cree XPL LEDs, this dive light delivers 2,300 lumens of light intensity. The R40 burns for two hours at maximum power and five hours at reduced power.

This compact light provides 900 lumens in a long-range 14-degree beam. The single push-button switch makes it is easy to cycle between five modes: full power, half power, quarter power, one-second signal flash and emergency SOS signal. The anodized aluminum body is depth rated to 330 feet and can run for eight hours on one rechargeable 18650 Li-ion battery.

Built with lightweight aluminum, the ST1000 is a focused-beam torch that fires 1,000 lumens in a concentrated 12-degree beam. The magnetic switch is color coded to indicate battery life and activates three modes — 100 percent, 50 percent and strobe — and the rechargeable 18650 lithium-ion battery and built-in USB charger are protected against flooding with a triple gasket seal.

This dive light comes with a built-in camera capable of capturing HD video and four-megapixel stills. The Mera's 1,000-lumen output features high and low power settings and can be emitted in either a 12-degree spot for normal diving or a wide 120-degree beam for video purposes. Depth-rated to 200 feet, this rechargeable light can run for 2.5 hours on high power.

The SL4 has long been considered by many as the gold standard for compact dive lights. Now there’s the updated SL4 Mark 2, incorporating a digital controller to take full advantage of all four C-size batteries. The Mark 2 delivers 600 lumens of brightness and the power switch can be switched on and off with one hand.