Most visible color on the water

Orange, yellow and red, in that order

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_orange

Here a very interesting quote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_orange

Its deeper, more saturated shade is known as international orange. Safety orange is used to set objects apart from their surroundings, particularly in complementary contrast to the azure color of the sky (azure is the complementary color of orange, and therefore there is a very strong contrast between the two colors). The color is commonly used for high-visibility clothing.

I guess that means s. orange is even more visible than red, in contrast with blue

Interesting question Dan. It really depends on the weather and lighting. In really sunny conditions I would say from experience white objects are very visible ( white reflects the most light of any other color) but are rather ordinary on the sea. Something similar to the highlighter yellow would also be pretty good but these colors tend to get dirty really quick. What about some kind of striped paint job thats gives the best of all the worlds? With yellow, white and orange/red stripes. They are all bright, the contrast makes it catch the eye and because the color isnt uniform it would be easy to spot and lock onto at a distance. Just my 2 cents.

DANSpanish law to fish usually in the championships and also in accordance with international treaties, such as international championships reads::

Underwater fishing is a free lung exercise or swimming, signaling its position with a buoy orange or red

Sobre Kayacs no dice nada, es otro tema aparte aunque el color mas llamativo es el rojo

On Kayaks says nothing, is another separate issue but the most striking color is red

<º))))))><

DAN La Legislación Española para pescar normalmente,en los campeonatos y también de acuerdo con tratados Internacionales, como por ejemplo los campeonatos internacionales dice lo siguiente:

La pesca submarina se ejercitará a pulmón libre o nadando, señalizando su posición con una boya de color naranja o rojo
Sobre Kayacs no dice nada, es otro tema aparte aunque el color mas llamativo es el rojo

I don't remember who did the test . But one was done a while back and the color that was best picked out by the human eye aganst the ocean was blue green - and lime green . I tested this with my crab pot floats and they were visible from about twice as far away . Orange was picked as a standard becuse it is not common in nature and is not a common color for non safety gear or a boats so it's ez to tell it's someone that needs help
Phil

The one easiest buoy color for me to spot when a have 3 divers drifting 100 miles off shore in white caps and dark seas is Florescent Dayglow Green. I have it on my drag line and bitter end of my float system.

The standard orange life guard float is hard to see for us in overcast and low light. Jays blow up girl float with
a Day Glow Green Flag is easier to spot at sea. Red gets lost soon on dark blue water after a hundred meters in over cast light.

Cheers, Don

The most noticeable color on the water is definetely pink. Just wear a pink wetsuit and you will be immediately noticed by everyone

Found it...:D

i am not usually attracted to digital images but DAMN!!!

i beleieve that green can be seen easiest, but I have seen days where our water looks close to that color...I have always liked bright yellow for my high vis color.
I think the conditions are key in deterining what you can see

Phil El verde y el amarillo, lima, son colores que no se distinguen, sobre todo en las zonas de penumbra, ocaso, orto, con niebla, días nublados.
Hemos perdido en muchos campeonatos a compañeros (después encontrados), por esa mala reflexión del color aen contraste con el agua ademas de
lo expuesto anteriormente
por eso se decidió que los colores arriba en el post eran los mas recurrentes.

<º))))><

Phil, Don Paul,Dan,whishi, monster, Lunker The green and yellow, lime, are colors that are indistinguishable, especially in areas of shadow, sunset, sunrise, fog, overcast days.
We have lost colleagues in many championships (later found), for that poor reflection aen color contrast with water addition ,also checked by me, believing
to vexes Que. newspaper had a fishing buddies, experience the shock of death, buoys use the old colors. foregoing
so it was decided that the colors up in the post were the most recurrent.

Quote from Don Paul

Found it...:D

That green may not be the most visible and contrasting... but definitely attractive in that image.
I think orange is the most visible color over a blue background. Thats because our cone cells in the retina
make a big signal to the brain when we see those colors together. It is called contrast and it is a physiology fact.

Thanks for the heads up Ramon, good to know . I will add the the very seasoned guys I dive with offshore also carry orange smoke and a flair on the float, I add a 22mm pistol flair to one of my floats when 100 miles out.

Cheers, Don

Quote from Don Paul

Found it...:D

Si pones ese avatar de boya señalizadora, te vere desde España jjajajajajajajjejajjeej:thumbsup2::laughing3::D
cuando no existían boyas señalizadoras, lo hacíamos asi

by now i feel like ive dove with people in pretty much every color of kayak and a llot of times they are way off in the distance. (for what thats worth),, and id say the colors u can distinguish most against the water and the horizon go in the order yellow,orange,red,green,then blue. you would think neon green is really eye catching but in my experience its one of the first to wash out in your vision against the ocean and sky

Quote from sdeisen

by now i feel like ive dove with people in pretty much every color of kayak and a llot of times they are way off in the distance. (for what thats worth),, and id say the colors u can distinguish most against the water and the horizon go in the order yellow,orange,red,green,then blue. you would think neon green is really eye catching but in my experience its one of the first to wash out in your vision against the ocean and sky

That's what I like about this place even a old seadog can learn new things.I'll trade out my little neon bikini top flag on the float for a yellow one,thanks guys.

Cheers, Don

Not that it matters for distance, but I've got a lime green strap on my weight belt. A couple of weeks ago I dropped my weight belt in a thick pack of kelp and if it wasn't for that little strap I know I wouldn't have found my weight belt again. That Lime green color is such an unnatural color it was instant recognition when I spotted it. It almost looks like it glows underwater.