I am sorry if this might seem a little dumb. I just bought my set of dive lights, and wanted to mark them with my name, so there is no mix up on boat or anything. I picked up my sharpie marker to put my name on them, and I started wondering if there is any chemical in the markers that might be bad for the animals and coral in the water. If this is not a good idea, does anyone have any other suggestions on how to mark my lights, and really, any of my other gear? Thank you in advance.
This may be a dumb question
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gfisher4792
Guest
I'll refer you to this thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/t51448.html
Personally, I like using paint pens.
http://www.scubaboard.com/t51448.html
Personally, I like using paint pens.
Canucklehead
Contributor
I think your concern is about the potential toxity of the ink and solvent to sea life. Sharpies (as a brand) use a "non-toxic alcohol based ink formula" (per their website). Unless you jump in immediately after using a marker, the solvent (alcohol) is going to be gone. The only concern then would be if the ink itself flakes off. As long as you don't write on a hard, very glossy surface, it's likely that the ink will have absorbed into the surface of whatever you wrote on enough that it won't flake off.
I actually would be more concerned by the paint pen approach suggested by some since the solvents tend to be more organic in nature and the paint itself could be more toxic. Again, if applied properly and well in advance of the dive, it shouldn't provide any imminent harm to fish life or the environment.
In reality, it's a question of "dose". If a few miniscule flakes of ink come off of one set of equipment, no harm, no foul. If there are 1,000,000 divers, each giving off a few flakes, it gets a little more serious. However, relatively speaking, there's more potential harm from all the nasty sunscreens that people slather on - that's why the parks in Mexico recommend bio-degradable sunscreens. Without doing the scientific research, I'd suggest that the risk of potential harm from using a Sharpie to mark your equipment is extremely low.
Looking at the thread provided by gfisher4792, you'll see that a lot of folks use "permanent" tags on some of their gear, but that doesn't always work well with items like fins. I've been a few boats where mine weren't the only pair of blue Oceanic Quattros, and I appreciated having my name on them when it came time to retrieve them from the post-dive scrum.
I actually would be more concerned by the paint pen approach suggested by some since the solvents tend to be more organic in nature and the paint itself could be more toxic. Again, if applied properly and well in advance of the dive, it shouldn't provide any imminent harm to fish life or the environment.
In reality, it's a question of "dose". If a few miniscule flakes of ink come off of one set of equipment, no harm, no foul. If there are 1,000,000 divers, each giving off a few flakes, it gets a little more serious. However, relatively speaking, there's more potential harm from all the nasty sunscreens that people slather on - that's why the parks in Mexico recommend bio-degradable sunscreens. Without doing the scientific research, I'd suggest that the risk of potential harm from using a Sharpie to mark your equipment is extremely low.
Looking at the thread provided by gfisher4792, you'll see that a lot of folks use "permanent" tags on some of their gear, but that doesn't always work well with items like fins. I've been a few boats where mine weren't the only pair of blue Oceanic Quattros, and I appreciated having my name on them when it came time to retrieve them from the post-dive scrum.
Allison Finch
Contributor
Diver0001:
Hey Canuck, what about all those ships that use copper based bottom paints to keep barnacles off?? I think a name with a paint pen is miniscule when comparing toxicity.
glbirch
Contributor
Allison Finch:
So it's ok to pollute, as long as you pollute less than the next guy?
glbirch
Contributor
diverbob:
Personally, I don't think any question that shows a concern about the environment is a dumb one. Engraving is certainly an option for the hard items. Sewing/stiching your name, or using duct tape/gun tape/1000 mile tape are other options.
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