Wet suits in living color and other colored gear--what's the deal?

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

OK, just got certified and starting to think about buying gear. I like color--BOLD COLORS!!! I was talking to some local divers while diving this weekend and I asked why most wet suits are dark. Is there a technical reason or is that just what the cool people dive??? I seemed to get the answer that cool people dive in black and that newbies buy colored matching gear. Also that if I want other divers to respect me that I will buy black. WHAT?

First of all unless there is a good reason not to have a certain color, like you will get attacked by big fish, then I would avoid a certain color. I am a realist and with my shape and figure, I don't look like a hottie! Well maybe I do --a bit like a hot grilled stuffed sausage perhaps, but not at all like Scubba Barbie and friends.

So what is the real deal. I am not learning to dive to get the approval of others. I am in this for me and my enjoyment. I am also not asking these people who think I might not be cool to buy my gear. By the way, if anyone does want to buy top quality gear for me, I will be happy with whatever color you think I would look best or worst in--the choice is yours if you have the dime. Heck if you want to call Henderon or Liquidfit and have them make a Halloween costume wet suit for me, I'll wear it!! I think a winged flying lime green dragon with red LED's on the side of my mask could provide a lot of fun underwater! The big pointy barbed tail would have to be flexible so I could learn to cave dive in it! LOL

Seriously, what is the deal with colored gear?
Leah

 

[H2Andy]

basically, wet suit manufacturers have to appeal to as wide a range of possible
buyers as they can, so by making their suits mostly muted colors, they hope to do that.

(we still have 1,000 zebra suits left over? how on earth is that possible???)

but no... there's no reason not to have bright colors.... that said, you'd never
catch me in anything but black and blue

 

[ScubaJewel]

Suit manufacturers also follow the sensibilities of every garment manufacturer in that they change every so often in hopes of getting more sales. Suits use to be bright and now their not. They will be again however. Just wait for it.

 

[Steve Ash]

Leah, wife insisted on pink gear, mine has always been black but I gave way to a neon green mask and snorkle.

Color to me is inmaterial, and you really can't tell after a certain depth what color someones gear is. So if your buddy is Red on the surface, remember they will be different at depth....so color is merely a surface thing in some respect.

 

[TheRedHead]

I've seen photos of the old Frogmen suits in brown, and well, it wasn't attractive, kind of like a big turd.

Everybody looks OK in black with some color trim. Leah, you can have custom wetsuit made in an unusal color, and you would certainly turn some heads on the diveboat.

 

[H2Andy]

Suits use to be bright and now their not. They will be again however. Just wait for it.

you mean it gets worse?

oh dear God

I gave way to a neon green mask and snorkle.

why? don't you know that only strokes wear neon green masks and sn....

er... oh, look! a fish

 

[Damselfish]

black is slimming...

actually, one reason I've heard is that the black dyes are most stable and last best, while colors tend to fade.

 

[Steve Ash]

black is slimming...

well that is a good reason ...at 6'1 230 I need all the help I can get!

 

[TheRedHead]

don't you know that only strokes wear neon green masks and sn....

Hey, I bought a green mask because my buddy kept wandering away with strangers dressed in all black like me.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

damselfish, you can try to convince me all day long that I would look good in a black wet suit. I however saw myself in the mirror and I look like a burnt Ball Park Frank--they plump when you cook 'em!! LOL

TheRedHead, I dove several times this weekend. Your suggestion to adjust the bc better really made a difference for my neck. Dove with several people this past weekend. Got into a little trouble with one set of buddies we discussed the dive agreed to stay at 60 feet as a max depth. They were familiar with the area and said we would go a on a little tour. I kept checking my gauges to try to form a good habits we get to 20, 40, 50, and then do a few more kicks the bottom started to slope very quickly and I didn't notice right away. I look at my gauge and less then 5 minutes into the dive we are at 91ft. Holy Smokes Bateman ther is trouble in Gotham Harbor! I grab one of the guys and give the trouble sign, write on my slate to ask if I am reading the gauge right that we are at 91?? He shakes his head yes and then I tell him I need to abort and turn back around as we talked about before the dive I am new and only OWC. Being a new diver my air comsuption is not good at all. Let me tell you, I had a hard time slowing my breathing down when noticed I was deeper than I should be so quickly. Had I not noticed as quickly as I did I think I would have been close to having the need to share air. Spent the rest of that day diving with a new buddy that is a search and recovery diver for the county. There is something about people who have pulled dead people out of the water that makes for a great buddy. She kept a close eye on my and dove according to my skill level not hers. I had a much better time on those dives.

As for turning heads on the dive boat, I am real card and can do that without the funky gear! When I am around everybody knows! That gives them the option to stay and enjoy the fun or run for cover!!! Whatever makes them happy!

Really, I just love color! You should see my house--the inside not the outside. I do believe that there should be laws against painting the outside of your house certain colors! I was looking at a Henderson suit with high vis yellow strips on the sleeves or a full organe suit and then of course at liquidfit, they do in fact make a zebra suit! At liquid they have lots of colors and you can lay it out however you want a little color or a lot. I think the solid orange might be a bit much!