I'm planning on ordering a custom sized suit next month. The manufacturer offers several colors in addition to black. For kayaking, I have a red farmer john that I rather like the looks of and was thinking about ordering this for my SCUBA suit as well. However, the preponderance of black suits makes me wonder if there is some sort of practical functionality of black that I should be thinking about. Some possibilities that come to mind are
1) Black retains/absorbs heat - is this significant enough to notice in a wetsuit?
2) Do different colors have an impact on how close other fish will let you get to them (i.e., do flashy colors spook fish)
3) black doesn't show dirt and stains as much (and has a slimming effect)
4) Colors other than black would probably allow you to stand out a bit more in a group dive and ensure that your buddy won't get confused about who is you or who you is
5) If rescuers are trying to find you, it will be a lot easier wearing something other than black
6) Does red look goofy? I suppose black has that neato ninja look.
Dave