Myth or Fact? Sharks are attracted to WHITE dive gear

[Sea_Jay]

Good morning friends,

I was working yesterday & a customer came into the shop looking for new fins. When I was showing her our inventory, she exclaimed "nothing white!" to which I replied with "why not?" After all, I have always personally admired the appearance of ice-white gear against the contrast of the deep blue. Her response surprised me....she said that sharks are attracted to the color white. I asked her where she got that thought process from, and she rattled off some names of some well-known divers who focus most of their energy on shark conservation/research. She specifically mentioned a photographer who has supposedly worked with NatGeo quite extensively. Long story short, this gentleman is adamant that there is a correlation between "white" gear & unwanted interactions with sharks.

Has anyone else heard of this? Is there any science to back it up?

 

[CuzzA]

Sharks are color blind. But see contrast very well. In gin clear water, a shark isn't likely to make that mistake. The Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Idalia has about 5ft of vis right now. A shark certainly could mistake the bright white contrast of a fin as an injured fish.

Ascents in white fins would also be more likely to bring a shark up from the bottom vs a black fin as the fin would appear to be a fish following a diver.

Also, I'm pretty sure the stupid shark feeding dive operators don't allow light colored gloves.

So there's certainly some truth to it.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I don't know that there is any correlating data but why be a datum point?

 

[Sea_Jay]

I don't know that there is any correlating data but why be a datum point?

Are you saying “why be a datum point” as in “why be a statistic” — in other words, just don’t dive with white gear?

Your response is hard to interpret

 

[tarponchik]

Also, I'm pretty sure the stupid shark feeding dive operators don't allow light colored gloves.

So there's certainly some truth to it.

Are you saying they do not allow light colored gloves because they are stupid?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Are you saying they do not allow light colored gloves because they are stupid?

I think he means shark feeding operations and the concept of artificial shark feeding in general is stupid, and using white gloves is also stupid on top of a stupid concept, so all of it is stupid.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Are you saying “why be a datum point” as in “why be a statistic” — in other words, just don’t dive with white gear?

Your response is hard to interpret

Nah. You got it. Statistic would have been easier to say.

 

[MB NZ]

I don't know the answer, but I worry about sharks a little too. You can't win, light colours make you look like a fish, dark colours like a seal

Any fisherman will tell you that choice of lure colour varies from day to day and with changes in environmental conditions.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

That's all great but what do you wear around salt-water crocodiles?