"You'll have a few divers trying to light up a small piece of coral using 2 or 3 of those D-cell lights. At 6' out, I aim both HID light heads at the spot they are looking at. They will look straight in their own light thinking, "Hey where did my pretty yellow light go?" Only then they'll turn to look for the source of the white light." Vincent Himpe

"For a moment I thought a freight train was coming head-on towards me and then I realized... I'm 120' down in the ocean and there aren't any railroad tracks around here ..." friend of Vincent

Working up close and personal with marine life requires dependable video lighting. Imagine being surprised by a “SEA SNAKE” who wrapped it’s self around my Pro 40 HID lights.  No question the NiteRider Video lights keep on working and have become the choice for lighting needs of the Aggressor Fleet worldwide.  We use NiteRider primarily because of their dependability and for the wonderful light they put out on video subjects. Wayne H.

Dave Alderson with Pro Diver, 1000+ dives

Tom and Henry:
I bought two of your Blackwater 3000 systems 2 weeks ago. I have absolutely NEVER seen such a fine product! I mean that. The engineering and "simplicity" of the system is outstanding. We (my wife and I) took them to Vortex Springs in Florida this past weekend and they were the sensation of all the goodies of the divers who were there. Divers either said "I have one too and would not have anything else" or "where can I get one?" (I directed them to the Discount Divers site, in Irvine which is where I bought mine). One guy said that he had your Digital system since it first came out and still gets constant wet dreams about it!

Because I am generally clumsy once in a while, I managed to drop the head unit a time or two onto a cement floor. I was fully expecting to have to put in the replacement bulbs. Nada. They did great. The plastic housing didn't have a mark on it either. The charging system worked outstanding (8 dives...charged it about 4 times for 2 hours each right on the site and then all night at the motel). Used the 12 volt adapter in our rig just to "try" it....great results too.

We used both the headbands AND the hand mount. We both felt that the hand mount was far superior in ease of use with a standard mask. I understand that all y'all are working on getting the Ocean Reef Masks fitted for a mount. That will be nice. But until then, if I have a choice between the headband or the wrist mount, the wrist mount wins! It's also easier to turn the head unit on and off and to "direct" the light to key spots. Also, you tend not to "blind" your buddy as much with the wrist mount vs the headband. You guys should be proud that you make quality stuff that's worth every penny that is asked for it. Jack

Lewis Wiggins
Here's LAPD Sergeant, Lewis Wiggins holding a 6 lb Lobster. Lewis has migrated
from the Pro Diver, up through the BW3000 and now uses the HID Dual Dive Light. One bulb is fitted with a red lens. One our favorite customers, Lewis always has a "tail" to tell. He will be glad to talk all about his lobster diving, he just won't tell you where he dives. Lewis knows to hold the lobster close to the camera for a better effect.
saxlvr@pacbell.net

I have been using lights from NiteRider since the ProDiver light series was first released in 1998.  After hundreds of dives (many of which in demanding conditions), I have only praise for your great products as well as the quality of your support. Paul Lewicki, CEO, StatSoft, Inc.

Henry and Tom,
I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how satisfied I am with the Blackwater 3000 NiteRider light. I purchased this light back in 1996 and it still burns intense. during this ensuing period I have never once had to change or replace the lamps. We night dive 3 times a week (weather permitting) and still to my happily amazement, I still get: 40 minutes of glow time on full command.

I don't go by what the scuba magazines say, I only go by verified in field experience. My night rider Blackwater 3000 dive light gets used roughly 156 times per year. I use the Niterider 2 hours and 16 minutes per week x 52 weeks = 112 hours and 32 minutes per year, give or take a few more or less to weather conditions..

At this current time I have over 673 hours of fun enjoyment and pleasure. Definitely have got my money's worth Don't think for another minute, when my black water 3000 light burns out I will not hesitate to buy the new HID light. Any one who has any questions please feel free to contact me at: hrsn-rnd@worldnet.att.net

N.A.U.I. Instructor 35099

Henry,
I just wanted to thank you for your prompt attention to our lights! You guys are the best. Keep up the good work and will recommend you guys to anyone who asks. I guess it says something about your product when I work for a lighting company and buy YOUR product! We do make some lower end dive lights, but I use them as my backup.
RC

Dear NiteRider,
My husband and I are avid recreational scuba divers in Southern California, diving both wrecks and shallow reefs around San Diego, South Orange County, and Catalina Island. On a recent boat dive off Pt. Loma in rough seas (4 to 5 foot swells), rain, and a current, we surfaced from our dive to find the dive boat nearly a mile away.

It had dragged anchor and we could barely see it in the distance. I immediately deployed my dive sausage, but to no avail. The sausage was just too short, and getting blown around, to be seen above the heavy swells. Luckily, my husband and I had our BlackWater 3000's with us, and while he waved his overhead, I decided to (carefully!) swing mine overhead, lariat style, from its cable so it could be seen above the swells. I know, not the best way to treat my light, but I was pretty desperate. When the dive boat finally spotted us, the crew told us they never saw our dive sausage. But, they did see our lights! I have to tell you, we love your lights, and they have been 100% reliable. Thanks for making such a great product.
Sincerely, L & F

Gentlemen,
Just wanted to drop you a line and tell you that everything worked great in Manado this year. I received the replacement charger module in just a few days and it worked. In fact, the entire HID Video System gave me the best light I have ever seen--both day and night, the color was fantastic. For a night dive, I could turn the unit on and leave it on for the whole dive, serving as a dive light as well. Quite a number of people were interested in the lights and I gave them your address. I will never go into the water again without my HID lights!
John

Here's an answer to the question, "What is the difference between the BW3000, BW5000 and the NR4000?"

Hi Chris,
Here is some info that should answer your questions: The only difference between a BW 3000 and BW 5000 is that the BW 5000 has wet connectors that allows you to change batteries (underwater or above water). The BW 3000 is hard-wired between the Battery Pack and the Dual Beam Light head so you cannot change batteries with that system however, it is cheaper because the U/W connectors cost a lot.

The main difference between a NR4000 and the BW3000/5000 is the size of the battery pack. The NR 4000 Battery is almost twice as big and weighs twice as much as the BW3000/5000. The NR4000 battery is a NiCad Battery and allows use of up to 100watts of light while the BW3000/5000 is a NiMH battery and can power up to 50watts. The burn time on the same wattage bulb is not that much greater on the NR4000 (4.5Ah capacity) compared to the BW3000/5000 (4.0Ah).

My personal favorite is the BW3000 and based on the diving conditions that you describe this is the system I would recommend to you. It has built in redundancy with two lamps and is incredibly bright. It is perfectly suited for diving in rivers or ocean with low visibility and currents. It comes with our Soft Hand Mount, which allows the light to be used mounted on the top of your hand, but allows the complete use of your hand for grasping. The hand mount is preferable to our various Helmets or Head mounts in murky, particle rich water where reflection off the particulate can be troublesome with a head mounted light. The Dual Beam Lighthead comes standard with a 12watt spot (3hours), 20watt spot (2 hours) or both (32watts at 1:10 minutes)

All our Lights are compatible with all the different mounts, from the Hand Mount to the AGA full-face mask mount to the Neoprene Headband with Chinstrap and everything in between.

The new charger that comes with the BW 3000/5000 is a 5-hour MicroBrute Smart Charger. It is a true smart charger that senses when the battery is fully charged and then switches into a maintenance or trickle mode. This charger also comes with the NR4000.

The new 10-watt HID Dive Light would also be a very good choice for the diving conditions you describe. It would be a better choice over the BW3000 if long burn times were a requirement. The HID light is equivalent to having both 12watt/20watt (32watts) on but gives you a burn time of 4 hours. The Battery Pack is the same as the BW3000. The 10-watt HID PRO-DIVE LIGHT has the same battery pack as the BW5000 so you can change batteries underwater.

Regards, Tom Carroll

Henry: We received our "fixed-up" HID's today. Jackie and I can't begin to THANK YOU for the outstanding customer support and kindness that you have shown us with the different "upgrades" and other things that you have done for us over the years. You are literally the king of customer support and service and many others could learn much from the way you go about your work. I swear, from the git-go, when we have gotten back stuff from all y'all, there are always the extra little things that you folks have done (an extra clip, connecter, new tops to the battery case, new cap straps, new lenses) that really make a difference. Even as unknown consumers several years ago, both of you guys were very nice to us. Crazy Jack & Sane Jackie

Dear Henry, The lights arrived on Friday and I was diving off the south Coast on Saturday and Sunday, this gave me the opportunity to test both lights and batteries and the new handle and headband in the open water. I replaced the diffuser head with the clear head (thanks!) carefully following the instructions you sent me and it worked very well. We only got down to 45m but that was pressure enough to make sure that all the seals were sound and the lights worked very well. Even though the visability was only 2-3m I still managed to bag myself three lovely lobsters ;-) Many thanks, once more, for the help and support you have offered me, I am very grateful for the excellent customer service and look forwards to many more dives with my niterider lighting system Regards James C.

You guys have made truly the best dive light. Everywhere I go I get asked about it. Once, a guy offered to buy mine right at the dive site. Last night (11/26) I taught a Low Visibility/Night Diving Class and all the students were interested in my dive lights. Unfortunately, no one around here (Olympia, WA) sells NiteRider dive lights. I picked mine up a couple of years ago at DEMA when it was last time in Las Vegas. As an instructor (SSI AOWI #10663) I use my lights all the time. As you know they're easy to add to your gear, streamlined, compact, and work great. I ask my students why carry those bulky hand-held lights? They slow you down, they're heavy, and you lose them. Unfortunately my shop (Capital Divers) carries canister lights, but mine are still always wanted by students vs. those. Drives the shop owner crazy, but perhaps he makes more on brand X vs. NiteRider - I don't know. Don C.