Question about color and equipment safety

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Xanthro

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I’ve settled on yellow as the obvious color for safety equipment, I just need to know what equipment should be yellow.

Certainly, the Octo.
Pony

Anything else?

What about backup light, or knife?

The color wouldn’t be for my use, but for whoever is my diving buddy at the time. I want them to be able to reach and find something in an emergency, without being distracted.

Xanthro
 
Anything visible, keeping in mind that colors red through orange disappear relatively early on in the water column.

I have a few lights that are Day-Glo green, and trust me, those things seem to light up by themselves. :)

A bright knife would be handy, especially if you get tangled in low-vis conditions. It would be easy for you (or even a buddy) to find and use to help you.
 
Here's a question that is probably slightly off topic...

We make our octopus a bright easy to see color, yet we leave our main regulator a dark hard to see color. The octopus is just another regulator really, it has no special properties other than the color normally. WHy not make the primary regulator a bright color?
 
Seabear70:
Here's a question that is probably slightly off topic...

We make our octopus a bright easy to see color, yet we leave our main regulator a dark hard to see color. The octopus is just another regulator really, it has no special properties other than the color normally. WHy not make the primary regulator a bright color?
Because the octo is the one the OOA diver is "supposed" to go for, so they can see it easier. Or so sez my old OW manual...
 
Seabear70:
Here's a question that is probably slightly off topic...

We make our octopus a bright easy to see color, yet we leave our main regulator a dark hard to see color. The octopus is just another regulator really, it has no special properties other than the color normally. WHy not make the primary regulator a bright color?

My guess would be that the bright color is used to make it easy to find during an emergency situation....and, short of it getting knocked out of your mouth (and retriving that is one of the first things you learn when getting certified) I'm pretty sure that everyone knows where your primary reg is at all times.

Peace,
Cathie
 
Seabear70:
Here's a question that is probably slightly off topic...

We make our octopus a bright easy to see color, yet we leave our main regulator a dark hard to see color. The octopus is just another regulator really, it has no special properties other than the color normally. WHy not make the primary regulator a bright color?

If you main and Octo were the same color, and slightly paniced diver might try to take your main.

Xanthro
 
Xanthro:
If you main and Octo were the same color, and slightly paniced diver might try to take your main.

Xanthro

You've never been in an OOA emergency before have you?

Ask the DIR'ers why they keep a 7' hose on their main regulator.

When a person runs out of air in a dive, they normally do not know it till after they've exhaled. At this point they try to inhale and either get a partial breath or none at all. They spend the next 30 seconds trying stupid stuff like shaking the regulator, trying their octopus, etc. Finally they reach for the SPG, and find out they have no air.

Now they're low on air and panicy...

They look arround fro their buddy, al lthe while mentally swearing at them for having not stuffed a regulator into their mouths already.

They find their buddy and make a bee-line straight for them and grab the first regulator they find, normally the one in your mouth.

Is there any reason not to have the primary regulator a highly visible color?
 
Seabear70:
You've never been in an OOA emergency before have you?

Ask the DIR'ers why they keep a 7' hose on their main regulator.

When a person runs out of air in a dive, they normally do not know it till after they've exhaled. At this point they try to inhale and either get a partial breath or none at all. They spend the next 30 seconds trying stupid stuff like shaking the regulator, trying their octopus, etc. Finally they reach for the SPG, and find out they have no air.

Now they're low on air and panicy...

They look arround fro their buddy, al lthe while mentally swearing at them for having not stuffed a regulator into their mouths already.

They find their buddy and make a bee-line straight for them and grab the first regulator they find, normally the one in your mouth.

Is there any reason not to have the primary regulator a highly visible color?

That's why I said slightly panicked, you are posting about a panicked diver.

The color is simply to help guide the person mentally. Having a brightly colored primary could guide them incorrectly.

Will a panicked diver grab your main, of course, but you don't want that because in all underwater activities, your first concern is yourself, because if you are injured or incapacitated, your can't help the other person.

When I trained as a lifeguard, one of the most stressed points was, if the choice is between you or the person you are rescueing, slamming into an obstacle, the choice is the person your are rescueing. If you are injured, you can no longer aid the other person.

I'm sure there are many other reasons for DIR to have a 7' primary hose, other than it being grapped by a panicked diver.

If you are deep and have to share air through passages, a longer hose is vital if you are single file. It's easier to have your primary hose as the long hose, since it is less likely to get tangled, and then you breather off your octo, while giving your main to your buddy.

What do you see as the benefits of having a brightly colored main?

Xanthro
 
That if you do a proper pre-dive briefing with your buddy about where you gear is at on you and in an OOA emergency which reg they are to take then in the end it doens't really matter what color any of your gear is.
 
Even though it isn't safety gear I have always found that yellow fins are easier to see in murky water. I know you are saying it shouldn't make a difference because you are to be right next to your buddy. I got entangled and stopped really quick while my buddy BRIEFLY dove on. He told me later that the first thing he saw of me was my yellow fins.
 

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