Scuba Light Sticks, do you know how they work?

If you’ve ever been on a night dive, chances are you’ve used a scuba light stick (also called glow sticks).

These things usually get tied onto the first stage of your regulator and emit a green, blue, red, or yellow glow to let your dive buddy know exactly where you are.

Even though scuba light sticks are made from non-toxic chemicals, the fact that they’re made of plastic means that they can have a substantial ecological impact.

But are there better alternatives? Sure!

All you need to do is grab some rechargeable batteries and the world is your oyster!

How does a Scuba Light Stick work?

How do scuba light sticks work?

First let’s talk a little bit about how glow sticks work.

There are three different chemicals in light sticks.

One chemical is in a glass vial, the other chemical is in the rest of the plastic tube, and the last chemical is a florescent dye.

When you bend the light stick, as in the diagram above, you break the glass vial and the chemicals mix. The mixing of the chemicals releases energy which excites electrons in the florescent dye.

When electrons are excited, they go to a higher atomic orbit. But what goes up must come down, so the electron returns to a lower orbit and in doing so it releases light.

That’s how your light stick is able to glow. The problem is that both plastic and glass take a long time to decompose in the landfills of the world. If you’re ecologically minded there are other options that can be both environmentally friendly and keep you safe while you’re diving at night.

Glow Sticks

One of my favorite lights is the Underwater Kinetic Dive Beacon Light.

This little thing has the same glow that a light stick has but its reusable. All you have to do is get a couple of rechargeable AAA batteries and you’re in business!

This light also has its own lanyard so you don’t have to waste your precious zip ties attaching it to your regulator.

Another light that I’ve seen is a strobe light. As far as safety goes, nothing beats these lights for getting you noticed.

In fact, I most often see these lights on the backs of instructors and divemasters so their students can always tell where they are.

A strobe light goes a long way towards making you stand out when everyone else is using regular cyalume sticks.

That being said, I find these dive strobes very annoying and I’m not alone. The strobes are quite powerful and their flashes tend to cause the whole dive area to flash every couple of seconds. It’s a lot like looking out the window of an airplane at night. You see a clear dark sky that’s flashed every couple of seconds by the lights on the tail or wing.

So what should I use, Light Sticks or Alternatives?

There’s no doubt that some sort of indicator light is necessary to make you visible during night dives.

There’s nothing wrong with scuba light sticks, however if you want to protect the environment you dive in, I’d suggest using a more environmentally friendly option such as an electronic light stick (use a strobe at your own peril)!

For some more scuba accessories, have a look here.

Return to Underwater Diving Equipment Home Page.

footer for Scuba Light Sticks page