Do Camouflaged suits really work and enhance the spearo’s chance of catching more fis

[BoltSnap]

Do Camouflaged suits really work and enhance the spearo’s chance of catching more fish?

I see that most Spearfishing equipment manufacturers make camouflaged suits that cost more than the typical black suits. They market these suits by stating the camouflage helps the diver to blend in with the environment where the diver is hunting implying that the fish would get the camouflaged divers confused with the surrounding environment and not see them as a threat. Some of them make camouflaged suits with “3D” images. Others even produce spearguns, fins, masks and snorkels in camouflaged colors as well. Do these type of wetsuits really work in “masking” the threat and the intended prey would see the colors and patterns on the diver’s wetsuit as real images underwater?

Do fish discern and see colors underwater?

 

[Manneca]

Do fish discern and see colors underwater?

Radio Lab on NPR did a program on color. One segment was on rods in animal eyes (or cones, don't remember which). Mantis shrimp have 17 ( more or less) while we have three. So they can see a lot more colors than we can.

 

[Belzelbub]

There are all sorts of tricks that divers try.

The stealth tricks are simply not going to be effective on Scuba. The bubbles generated by Scuba equipment pretty much makes sure that the fish know where you are.

For freedivers, it can't really hurt. I have a camouflage wetsuit that I use, but I primarily scuba dive. Assuming the camouflage is effective, most fish will be able to detect you with their lateral lines whether they can see you or not. So, if moving around and making a lot of noise, you won't get any benefit from the camouflage.

Mostly though, the camouflage is for the diver not the fish.

 

[danvolker]

I have been using the Beuchat Mundial Camo for scuba and freediving, for about 6 years now...they last forever compared to most scuba wetsuits....as a plus
Most notable issue with them, is when I am shooting video, the Goliaths let me move right in with them--almost as if I was one of them. There are plenty of situations I have been in, where I penetrated into a hold of a wreck filled with 50 or more goliaths, and I had to actually push them further away with my hands, because they were too close to video...Same being true in big open water masses of them...I could get right into them....I would need to be slow, and quiet...and often I would hold my breath for a minute or longer..take a quiet breath, and do another..longish hold....but they would already be used to me, so a few breaths would not spook them.

Here is an example where I was just as close as I wanted to be, and they were not scared at all. This was on the wreck of the Castor, near the sand and off it a bit is about 120 feet deep.
[video=youtube;0sTblBq1Ok4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sTblBq1Ok4&[/video]


I find that turtles are less concerned about me than divers in black wetsuits also.

 

[spoolin01]

I think camo seems a bit laughable to us because we have highly focused vision, where the lower orders don't. I think motion plays a higher role in their perception than detailed form discrimination, so anything that makes it harder to discern a moving edge or coherent mass should help in masking presence. Even against us, camo works better than bold imagery.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Do Camouflaged suits really work and enhance the spearo’s chance of catching more fish?

I see that most Spearfishing equipment manufacturers make camouflaged suits that cost more than the typical black suits. They market these suits by stating the camouflage helps the diver to blend in with the environment where the diver is hunting implying that the fish would get the camouflaged divers confused with the surrounding environment and not see them as a threat. Some of them make camouflaged suits with “3D” images. Others even produce spearguns, fins, masks and snorkels in camouflaged colors as well. Do these type of wetsuits really work in “masking” the threat and the intended prey would see the colors and patterns on the diver’s wetsuit as real images underwater?

Do fish discern and see colors underwater?

We offer camo wetsuits in two basic colors and several thicknesses. Your observation about the suits costing more than typical black suits is not always correct. We have all our wetsuits made exclusively for us, when we sell a suit, you are buying it DIRECT and there is no need for me to support a retail network. This allows us to offer high quality (Yamamoto neoprene) wetsuits at very competitive prices.
We offer black wetsuits for competive freedivers who are going up and down a line and are not typically hunting or even sight seeing. All the rest of our suits are camo - why? Because they are popular.

I'm not sure I can site scientific studies that prove that a camo design will help, but I am pretty sure it can't hurt. Just like Dan mentions above, there is a LOT of anecdotal evidence that camo may help in certain situations to allow a closer approach to marine organisms.

Divers should realize that, a camo wetsuit is not necessarily designed to make a diver "invisible" but it CAN help to break up the outline and the full size of the diver may be harder to determine when he is tucked up against a rock and is laying motionless for any period of time.

In fact, many freedivers do NOT want to be invisible. They may want to be visible from the surface, so that their buddy can effectively safety them. Bright yellow, vinyl covered weights are quite popular and when worn over the back, they can often be seen for a considerable distance - even when the remainder of the diver is invisible from the surface.

 

[BoltSnap]

Mostly though, the camouflage is for the diver not the fish.

I don't understand, how so?

 

[Belzelbub]

I don't understand, how so?

The look. Camouflage wetsuits look cooler than plain black ones.

My point was that you just aren't going to sneak up on a fish by wearing camouflage. Proper stalking technique is critical. Like I said, I wear a camouflage wetsuit or rashguard on most dives. The fish still see me.

 

[100days-a-year]

Wore both commercial spearing at a very high production rate.Same areas in different years,same species.no discernible difference in production.Does look cooler as mentioned.

 

[BoltSnap]

So the corollary to what you all seem to imply, there are no better colors for different dive environments? Most vendors for spearo camouflaged suits have different camou colors they claim are more appropriate for one type of environment than the others, e.g., blue for blue water, green for low vis green water, etc. For us diving here in the southern coast of the Mediterranean, coast of Libya, it would mean that I have to have about 2 - 3 suits, brown for diving around rocks with brown marine life growth, greenish when diving around areas with sea grass (Posidonia grass/weed) and blue for deeper blue water.