Underwater Laser Pointers; for something a bit different

Underwater laser Pointers.

How often have you had the following conversation?

“Hey man, check that out!”

“Check what out?”

“That over there.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That thing over by the blue sign, see it?”

“Oh yeah! That’s some cool stuff brother!”

Now imagine trying to have that conversation underwater. I’ve done it before. There’s a lot of muffled screams and shoulder shrugging that usually ends with a forget-about-it wave of my hand. He’ll find out there’s a shark behind him soon enough.

Underwater laser pointers, however, make playing an underwater game of charades completely unnecessary. With these nifty little devices, you can point out a crab or a moray eel without having to act out what you want your buddy to be looking at.

What are Underwater Laser Pointers Designed for?

These spiffy little devices were originally designed with divemasters and instructors in mind.

There’s a lot of stuff going on tropical reefs and simply gesturing toward something with your hand won’t get your point across.

When you’re leading a group of 5 to 10 divers and gesture over to a patch of reef; some of them will see the ultra-rare nudibranch you’re trying to point out, some of them will think you’re pointing out another ubiquitous soft coral and others will think “Why’s he pointing out a patch of reef?”

A laser pointer will focus the group’s attention exactly where it needs to be.

What does an Underwater Laser Pointer Look like?

Underwater laser pointers look more like small dive lights than the laser pointers you’re used to seeing in office presentations, but they work the same way.

Basically these devices use a laser beam to put an eye-catching red dot on your intended target. There is a caveat, however. Not all of the laser pointers out there are made well.

While some laser pointers on the market work well for both short and long distances, others barely function unless you’re right on top of your target (thus negating the purpose of a laser pointer). A good laser pointer should be able to project a noticeable red dot from a distance of at least six feet (2m) in bright-light conditions.

Anything less than that and you might as well be pointing with your finger.

Do you need a Underwater laser Pointer?

The real question is, “Do you really need a laser pointer?” It depends.

I think underwater laser pointers are must-have items for anyone who’s leading a dive. The ocean is full of beautiful sea life and you want to make sure that no one in your group misses something extra special.

For the average diver, however, the decision to buy a laser pointer would depend on what kind of diving you do.

For example, a spear fisherman wouldn’t need a laser pointer…unless they wanted a laser sight for their spear gun. Divers who spearfish generally aren’t interested in pointing out things to their buddies unless those things are big and tasty. However an experienced diver taking their newly certified significant other to the Red Sea may want to get a laser pointer to point out some of the endemic marine wildlife.

For me, underwater laser pointers fall under the “nice to have” category. They aren’t really necessary for most divers, however they do make diving more enjoyable.

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