Float line - does colour make a difference??

[Captain J]

I've just got a nice new Omar Shardana float with line etc.

I'm wondereing whether or not the colour of the line makes much of a difference??

i.e does arange line scare off fish?

Is there something better, like green or brown?

I'd love to hear what everyone's using..

[jwells1989]

i have never found anything of any colour scares the fish, one of my weights on my weight belt is flourecent yellow, and also i usually take a bodyboard as a float and that is multicouloured and i have never had any problems with the fish getting scared.
maybe it will attract the fish instead of scaring them off.

[spearheads]

I wouldn't use the standard flout line it comes with, it wraps around your legs. Plastic coated washing lines are excellent as a flout line. I don't think colour makes a difference.

[Pastor]

Not at all, my gun is bright red, my float line is made from clear PVC tubing which reflects light like a mirror (and I'm a camo freak ) either the fish I shoot are daft or they don't give a damn

[Bill McIntyre]

Color makes a big difference, but its a difference in visibility for boaters.

I've been running a live boat for guys drifting in rough seas with overcast sky, and I'm afraid to approach the guys with black or blue float lines because I can't see them in the water. But when someone is using the foam fllled orage Rob Allen float line, it stands out great.

There have been times when I got back in the boat and looked out across a thick kelp bed for the other divers. I could see that orange line across the top the kelp before I could pick out the diver's head and snorkle.

Two different divers Southern California divers that I know of last summer had boats run over their float lines. One had the line tangle around his ankle and drag him, and another had his gun jerked into his side and injure him.

Th photo shows a buddy with an orange line on an offshore kelp paddy. It helps if you drape it over your head too.

[Pastor]

Originally Posted by Bill McIntyre

Th photo shows a buddy with an orange line on an offshore kelp paddy. It helps if you drape it over your head too.

Absolutely right, visibility to boats it very important as it's one of the reasons we haul a float around anyway.

Bill, do you think if I drape enough floatline over my head I might be able to pass it off as hair? Dayglo Rasta spearo sort of thing

[Captain J]

Thanks for input guys,

I'll see how I get on this weekend. I notice the washing line comes up quite a bit in topics, sounds like a good idea.

Its an interesting one about the colour though.

If so many people go for the camo does it actually make any difference?

[deep thinker]

To quote more than one member on here, camos designed to catch divers not fish. Now my bit but it looks real cool
O and by the way I use black tuna bungee cord for a float line, no tangles and it plays fish well...
Bill I guess I wont be diving from your boat hey mate

[Bill McIntyre]

Originally Posted by deep thinker

O and by the way I use black tuna bungee cord for a float line, no tangles and it plays fish well...
Bill I guess I wont be diving from your boat hey mate

I don't have any strict rules. If people want me to wrap their float line in my duoprops and cut it, then I'm willing as long as they cut it out for me.

[Fondueset]

Congrats on your Shardana. I have one with a lot of mileage on it! Its been sunburned, bashed into rocks, flipped by strong winds, frozen etc. etc. I went to a spearo type float line last summer and the difference is amazing - no more time spent untangling the line, never gets stuck in weights, on knives or wraps around me. Mine is blue but I think and orange one would be great. One reason I got a shardan is its big enough to be a navigational hazard. I even got an Omer Ocean Camo suit because I think it will be easier for boaters to see on the surface! (just my summer suit - in winter there are almost no boats) Bill I've see Rob Allen line that is not run through plastic tubing and is way cheaper - is that what you are talking about? If it is as good at non-tanglage as the other stuff it would be a great option.

[Bill McIntyre]

Originally Posted by Fondueset

Bill I've see Rob Allen line that is not run through plastic tubing and is way cheaper - is that what you are talking about? If it is as good at non-tanglage as the other stuff it would be a great option.

Yes, here is the description on the Florida Freedivers web site.

Foam Filled 3/8" Floatline - Orange
Florida Freedivers Foam Filled 3/8" Polypropylene Floatline - available in Black/Green combo or Orange. Rugged line, very strong, just enough positively bouyant to help prevent line tangles when you attach your float line to your speargun. Comes standard with a clip on one end and a swivel on the other. Available in various lengths from 30' to 150'.

The 100 foot length is just $41, and 120 foot is $46.

However, I can't say that its as tangle resistant as the stiff plastic line, although its much better than the pure poly line that you can get at a hardware store. That foam core gives it a bit of rigidity.

Of course tangles are only a factor when you are trying to deploy it into the water, and you just have to be more careful uncoiling it.

[Fondueset]

Thanks Bill. The tangle resistant stuff was a real breakthrough for monofinning with float. Tis looks like it may work as well without the cost and without having to worry about getting holes in it.

[Marwan]

i have the shardana too..its one of the best floats i ever used, i love it..especially for shore diving..only downside is maybe portability and transport.. i also use it with an orange standard float line from rob allen...

[Fondueset]

The Atoll is a great option for portability - much cheaper too - I have one for my daughter (we have a lot of boat traffic in the summer). Here I am with my beloved Shardana. Note the flag - it is the legal standard size for our state (Michigan is where the flag was invented!) and also about four years old (note duct tape). You'll also notice the flagpole in a little short - snapped off in high winds and -14c weather when the float iced up and flipped. FYI - the fish here seem to find the floatline quite interesting.

[Captain J]

Originally Posted by Fondueset

The Atoll is a great option for portability - much cheaper too - I have one for my daughter (we have a lot of boat traffic in the summer). Here I am with my beloved Shardana. Note the flag - it is the legal standard size for our state (Michigan is where the flag was invented!) and also about four years old (note duct tape). You'll also notice the flagpole in a little short - snapped off in high winds and -14c weather when the float iced up and flipped. FYI - the fish here seem to find the floatline quite interesting.

The Shardana is an awesome piece of kit. I love the fact that you can store so much equipmement in it. Very easy to work with. Although more expensive than other floats all the functionality makes up for it.

The floatline that Omer supply seems fine, I had no issues with tangles. I let about 50ft out too see what it would be like in a worst case scenario. i.e my deepest likely dive being approx 35 feet. Yesterday the water was about 15-20ft deep. The seems to attract Garfish, I've seen this before when waterskiiing. When stopped Garfish would jump over the line.

A very thin target though!