Fin visibility (colors)

[Gab]

Hi,

I'm having a debate with a friend about how visible fins should be. If they have visible colors (like yellow) then you can spot your buddy easily in the water so you have added safety. On the other hand, this allows fish to see you too as it offsets the camo wetsuits ability to make you blend in. One idea is to have a bright color on the bottom of the blade only so you buddies can see you but the fish less so.

What are your opinions this?

 

[Pinniped72]

I have mixed thoughts about it, if your totally camo and can use it effectively then bright colour would compromise this but............. I have a feeling that most fish probably know we are around to a certain extent anyway through other senses. If you mainly fish for bottom dwellers then bright colours on your back for safety make total sense to me, such as bright yellow weights on the back of your belt etc. Sudden movement is more of a fish frightener I would have thought

 

[Gab]

I am not sure how effective camo really is, I usually ambush or duck dive, depends on the situation. I do not blue water hunt.

 

[ben1987]

Hi i guess that its okay cause you are hiding the front part when you are doing ambush, so fish dont see you when they approach. and if some fish see your fins maybe u will not see them and if you do turn and see them your camouflage wouldn't count cause they are more triggered by movement then colours. i guess to put them any colors u like maybe blue like sharks cause when your falling ur friend will see your camo suit and on bottom he will see the fins.

 

[Mr. X]

I'm sure I've read somewhere that sharks like "yummy yellow" I've opted for black and/or camo for most things - upside it reflects very little light towards fish when you are in waiting in weed, downside it gives you a seal-like silhouette against the sky when you are at the surface or in open water. I felt better/safer with a little colour when I was starting out though. Also I dive alone. Making yourself visible to your dive buddy makes sense to me. Do you attach your float line to your weight belt?

I recently made a point of adding bright tape to the tip of my new black snorkel because it came without the usual orange safety tape - I think that is advisable, often it is the only thing you can see when folk are diving/snorkeling nearby. Bill McIntyre reckoned he depends on that for spotting his dive buddies from his boat too.

Make sure you have a big, bright, buoy with "diver down" flag nearby too - to warn boats/kayaks/etc. (although sometimes it attracts kayakers). I have wondered about carrying one of those bright long tape streamers and/or dye markers (or mini-flares) to help rescue helicopters spot you in an emergency too.

 

[Gab]

Hi Mr. X,

Thanks for the info. I attach my float line to my weight belt, it depends on the float I have. I do that with the round type but not when I have my boat type float (asbit is too heavy for that, I have it anchored and I stay not far). I have the flag on all my floats. I also have a Carter float (long signal float) with me attached to my weight belt (using a riffe belt pouch) to signal in case I need it; this float is always attached to my belt using a line and clip.

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[Johnny Raro]

I have noticed no difference how large pelagics approach me in a blue camo wetsuit compared to wearing brightly coloured board shorts and a rash vest.

But I do feel more like a Navy Seal in camo

 

[sharkey]

I have always favoured these colours for being visable on the surface & also for breaking up larger objects below 10m. Plus we dont always have to be serious. "Cool Runnings"

 

[Pinniped72]

I'm sure I've read somewhere that sharks like "yummy yellow" I've opted for black and/or camo for most things - upside it reflects very little light towards fish when you are in waiting in weed, downside it gives you a seal-like silhouette against the sky when you are at the surface or in open water. I felt better/safer with a little colour when I was starting out though. Also I dive alone. Making yourself visible to your dive buddy makes sense to me. Do you attach your float line to your weight belt?

I recently made a point of adding bright tape to the tip of my new black snorkel because it came without the usual orange safety tape - I think that is advisable, often it is the only thing you can see when folk are diving/snorkeling nearby. Bill McIntyre reckoned he depends on that for spotting his dive buddies from his boat too.

Make sure you have a big, bright, buoy with "diver down" flag nearby too - to warn boats/kayaks/etc. (although sometimes it attracts kayakers). I have wondered about carrying one of those bright long tape streamers and/or dye markers (or mini-flares) to help rescue helicopters spot you in an emergency too.

In WW2 the American life jackets used to be yellow so after downed bomber crews and sailors were attacked by sharks, I think the Americans termed the phrase "yum yum yellow"................... for obvious reasons!

 

[Dude George]

In WW2 the American life jackets used to be yellow so after downed bomber crews and sailors were attacked by sharks, I think the Americans termed the phrase "yum yum yellow"................... for obvious reasons!

Arthur C Clark said it was squid that were attacking due to the yellow in his television series in the 80's and thats why they changed the color... wonder if that was accurate?

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[sharkey]

The coloured fins seemed to bring me good luck if anything on my recent trip. Even when trying to take a break from tuna & chase emperors in the "shallows" the tuna kept turning up, I couldnt get away from them. The sharks were the most active I have ever seen, water was 29C, & they consistently vapourised 2 out of 3 tuna we shot, sometimes at arms length, yet we had no anxious moments with them. Attutude & fishing skills play a much greater part in success tham camo or colours IMO. Having fun helps too.

 

[Kodama]

The colour red because of its long wavelength is absorbed rapidly under water even at shallow depths.
Red is absorbed around 5m, yellow around 12m and green around 20m approximately.
Therefore if you like to be visible at the surface but want to look good and fashionable and of course completely invisible to fish a red camo suit is the way to go.
However when visibility for your buddy is your priority a bright green may be a better choice.
There is always the option of installing blinking LED lights on the end of your fins!


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[graovic]

I buy blacktech (blacktech.equipment) fins (carbon completion edition), fins are great very lightweight but I'm little bit concern regarding big white/red logo on both sides of fin. What you guys thinks about that is that, should I buy some camouflage sticker for fins or this pattern can be useful for buddy tracking .

 

[graovic]

This is how fins looks like

 

[sharkey]

I buy blacktech (blacktech.equipment) fins (carbon completion edition), fins are great very lightweight but I'm little bit concern regarding big white/red logo on both sides of fin. What you guys thinks about that is that, should I buy some camouflage sticker for fins or this pattern can be useful for buddy tracking .

IMO it will have zero effect on your ability to spear fish.

 

[Mr. X]

IMO it will have zero effect on your ability to spear fish.

Ditto. I might be concerned if they were mainly white with red at one end, as Miles used large numbers of "red head/white or silver body" lures of various designs and sizes to catch large fish off South Africa's shores. Also, somebody (Portinfer?) posted an image of a white sea kayak that had the red end tip almost "bitten off by a shark" allegedly - that might have been a spoof image though (very scary if not though).

 

[sharkey]

We call the red head & white tail "Qantas" colours , after the airline. These colours work in lures because of contrast, in dark water white is good & in clear water red is good. Fish can see the movement, rather than see their actual colours. The Qantas colour lure is certainly equal to any colour combination in my favourite top three combinations. It works 99% of the time.

 

[sharkey]

I guess not many people get to dive in 70m vis (yes 70m vis this day) & glassed of conditions with an abundance of large fish helps to really get to see how game fish & sharks actually react to things. Colour isn't as important as movement or pressure waves & sound. Can still make out my new "rasta" fins just below the surface, the colours do disappear not far below the surface. I'm in 70m of water here & the tuna are hanging at 40m & safe from me.

 

[graovic]

Yeah, everything you say make sense, but in your case these are big fish which probably won't be scared by your fins. I think maybe problem with fin colour become real when you trying to catch smaller fish in shallow water where you are more exposed to their senses and of course colours are more visible. Also I think there can be a big difference where you trying to catch fish, if that location isn't overfished and fish are not aware of spear fishers that also can help to fish stay cool when you are near them even if the colours are bright. For me it's really strange to fish doesn't react on colour because many of them used of course colour for camouflage mechanism, natural selection is probably "teach" them how to stay invisible for predators.

 

[sharkey]

We need to be confident in our kit & if colour is important to you then choose accordingly, but I doubt the fish will care. I do most of my diving around Sydney & also still fish in an odd comp. Sydney is a large city with four large rivers spilling out on its coastline. IMO fin colour makes very little difference to fish (large & small) even in heavily fished dirty water. I find that fish are often more flighty in very clear water & increase the distance from a spearo till they feel safe, again in this situation its how we present ourselves & approach the fish which is vastly more important than the colours we wear. Here are some recent Mu, they have a reputation for being tricky "small" fish. These are from gin clear water whilst using the tri coloured guns & fins. These fish saw me well before I was able to shoot them, in this situation, colours & camouflage makes no difference, its all about using our fishing skills.