Fin colors, visible or not?

  • Hi all,


    I am having a debate with a friend concerning fin colors. One view is they should be visible for safety reasons (so we see each other, so others see us, so in case of an accident we can find our buddy) and the other is they should not as to blend in (as a bright color will cancel the usefulness of the camo). We do not blue water hunt and usually use ambush or duck diving as a technique.


    What is your opinion?

  • Personally, I'd put it totally up to the diver on my boat, although no one gets in the water till the dive or Alpha flag flies and mates are swimming with a knife. Some way off shore spots I would demand float and flares when I was skipper.


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

  • Personally, I'd put it totally up to the diver on my boat, although no one gets in the water till the dive or Alpha flag flies and mates are swimming with a knife. Some way off shore spots I would demand float and flares when I was skipper.


    Cheers, Don


    I agree about all that, I meant for safety while in the water.

  • Not sure how this might app,y to your situation - but I was doing some spearing in murky pretty sharky water and felt a black or camo fins would keep sharks from being attracted to my fins/legs. Probably nothing more then mental but still ... :@

  • I agree about all that, I meant for safety while in the water.


    Me too:D the boat gets us there. Back in the dark ages we were diving current a couple miles backside a offshore island.( San Clemente) Jay Riffe swam down-current to one of my pinnacles without drag line or float and the 4 man crew spent a hr running search grids trying to find him in the gleaming wind chop seas. All of us were stressed out and real pissed when we found he wasn't even aware we were looking for his ass, than he told us he had just shot a 30lb Yellowtail...it was wrapped deep on structure and he didn't have a knife. :crazy: '' Hey Don could ya jump in hit the bottom and check my shot?'' Got to love the guy.;)


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

  • Colors can attract sharks visually. A dive buddy of mine was spearing < 30ft. He had on some neon green gloves, grossly bright. Long story short, a lemon shark comes in his vicinity and is immediately attracted to his hands for some odd reason. He fends off the shark several times as it darts towards his free hand thats not holding the grip of the speargun. Finally, he says F this and drops the gloves and the shark follows them as they go down to the bottom and snatches them from sight. The shark was gone and left him alone. Weird stuff... But you are in a wild environment, and no matter your experience you can't predict a wild beast all of the time.


    I recommend you blend in with your environment and dive safe. Your buddy should know your diving abilities if you're going to trust him with your life. But, you can't put all of the weight on your buddy neither. You must know your own ability as well.


    If you want the bright colors as a visible safety net in fear of drowning, that doesn't sound like safe diving.


    :toast:

    Relax & Go Spearfishing

  • I agree with the above ^


    Some sharks love blond flowing hair and white Scuba Pro Sea Wing fins.....although so do big ass Amberjack.


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

  • I had read a while back that most shark species are color blind. The few that aren't can see only one color spectrum, red (shallow water) or blue ( deep water, bioluminescent).


    It would be interesting to know if it was the actual color, the brightness of it or something else (smell?).

  • Sharks and other fish like bright colors for the same reason we do, they are easy to see and catch the eye. In murky water neon yellow and white are some of the only colors that show through, especially when a diver is wearing camo. About a year ago I switched the weights on the back of my belt from black to neon yellow so that I was more visible from the surface.


    I would say that bright colored fins are probably overkill. I know a lot of people that put flasher tape on their fins because it attracts fish. If you are worried about sharks, the flutter of fins or the wiggling of fingers are probably the last places to put bright colors. By comparison the bright weight on the back is relatively stationary and only visible from above.

  • i have always used black fins except for a lime green and black pair of US Divers "Blades" (Technisub Stratos by another name). Shark experts say sharks don't have color vision, but they pick up on contrasting shades and movement. For example if you feed fish bare handed then the fish can interpret your hand as a separate entity and have a go at it. The same applies to sharks, they see a pair of bright fins pumping up and down as separate entities to you and may be tempted to have a go, especially when the big creature they are following (i.e. you) seems totally oblivious to the "meals" swimming directly behind it.


    If you want to be visible to your buddy use something else such as a light, even in daytime conditions. Red tips on snorkels were there for that reason in the distant past, so you could see them poking out at a distance. Maybe an upgrade with modern reflective materials would be useful today.

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