Lobster Flashing Snorkel Lights

[chris oak]

I've been trying out different lights to try to keep the boats from running me over at night. Lately I've used a couple of cylume bracelets and rubberband them to my snorkel, they seem to work okay but I've been looking for something brighter.

I've seen some guys use a different variation of these, some of them are swordfish markers and are a bit too large. These were the smallest I could find, they are a little larger than a quarter and are water activated. They blink colors, this one happens to be blue but there are some that rotate colors through or are straight red. There is a little clip on one side.

I'm either going to put it on the back of my mask strap or else on the snorkel. Snorkel would be best, but I'm worrying about kelp hanging up on my way up. I had that problem a few weeks ago, it wasn't really dangerous but I did have to stop and yank off the cylume pieces because the kelp stalk had wedged under it.

[gringo sushi]

Hi Chris,

I played around with a similar idea a years ago. I dive bugs with a float line so started with a mini float that I shaped from part of a small lobster buoy (1/2 of the egg sinker looking one). I put reflective DOT tape on the float and covered the whole thing with epoxy like a guide wrap on a fishing pole.

I tried putting that light you have shown into a recess on the float but it was a little too bulky and hung up in the kelp. Ended up finding on Amazon "Waterproof Submersible LED Tea Lights" and fitted the float to accept those. At under $1 each (depenging on qty) they are basically disposable.

If there is any light pointed at it the DOT tape lights right up and if not the light from LED is made more visible by the reflection off of DOT tape. See 3rd photo taken in dark with flash.

Alongside the line that goes through the float is a piece of weed whacker line/mono. The shrink tubing covers both and is shaped with the downward curve so the weight of the hardware at end of float line always keeps the light pointed up. It was not big enough to ballast the bottom side with lead. The shrink tubing part also helps to guide it through the kelp without snagging where the line exits the float.

I quit using the light (cant remamber exactly why) but never dive bugs without the reflective float. I do remember trynig to improve the reliability of not flooding the light by greasing the o-ring. I'll be giving them another try on my next time out.

Being on the end of the float line the light doesnt see the same pressure cycling it would if I had it on me so is likely less prone to flooding that way.

I always intended to remake it using surfboard foam and not long ago had some gifed to me but havent had the chance to remake the proto into a final. One day...haha.

Lil Bugger 1.png (1.24 MiB) Viewed 472 times

Lil Bugger 2.png (791.32 KiB) Viewed 472 times

Lil Bugger 3.png (1.08 MiB) Viewed 472 times

[John Hughes]

Todd, great idea. You definitely do some tweaking on your gear. LOL

I was going to mention some guys I know in the club that just e-tape glow sticks to their snorkels. I would have brought that up, but I know even your better idea costs $1 per unit and that is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay outside the cost ratio Chris is looking for here

[chris oak]

Wow todd that's a nice set up. Do you have problems with it in heavy kelp areas? I've been thinking of running that way but about 50 percent of the spots I dive area kelp heavy.

I'm already ahead of you with the glowsticks on the snorkel Hughes. I like it because it lets the boaters know where I'm diving. I don't like it cuz it also lets the noobs know where I'm at.

[John Hughes]

I'm already ahead of you with the glowsticks on the snorkel Hughes. I like it because it lets the boaters know where I'm diving. I don't like it cuz it also lets the noobs know where I'm at.

isn't that going to happen no matter what type of light set up you have?

GONE are the days of not having to worry about it and being alone out in the water even at night. Every single night of the week it's crowded over here. It's unbelievable to me.

[gringo sushi]

Wow todd that's a nice set up. Do you have problems with it in heavy kelp areas? I've been thinking of running that way but about 50 percent of the spots I dive area kelp heavy.

I'm already ahead of you with the glowsticks on the snorkel Hughes. I like it because it lets the boaters know where I'm diving. I don't like it cuz it also lets the noobs know where I'm at.

Thanks Chris. Since I added the shrink tubing in front of it I havent had any problems in the kelp. It threads the float thru like a needle.

The little spot of orange you see is a chunk of weed whacker line that i included in the shrink tubing to help it hold a sweeping 90 degree shape.

Lil Bugger 4.png (201.6 KiB) Viewed 426 times