SeaJay
Contributor
Yeah, I know... You're sick of seeing them. As if backplates are some sort of mystical, magical thing...
I've been advised by more than one diver not to wear jewlery or anything shiny under water, for fear of attracting predatory fish. I've heard from people that specifically, barracuda are very curious when it comes to shiny metallic objects.
Now, I've been in the water with some awfully big barracuda... Sharks don't scare me; even the big (15'+) ones; they only bite if they think you're food, which humans don't look or smell like, generally, unless they're a surfer. I've seen lots of divers dive with sharks and they seem more scared of people than the other way around. Of course, the flip side of that is that there is a point in which you simply don't want to be in the water with feeding sharks, and so it takes a little forethought to be able to swim with sharks safely. But barracuda I don't like. I've found that they are much more curious than sharks are, and will come "hang out" sometimes for long periods of time just because. Furthermore, I've found that they don't have to think you're food to attack. Like many land animals such as bears and canines, they are very territorial, and will attack just because you're in their territory, which isn't marked off, if you know what I mean. So it's these critters that I don't like... Particularly the 4' and 5' variety that I often see here in offshore South Carolina, which often "territorialize" the very wrecks and reefs that attract us divers in the first place.
Anyway, in an effort to have SOMETHING that can make me feel a bit more secure in the situation, I've purchased a BFK that I keep strapped to my leg. I'm not crazy about this leg knife... I don't find it nearly as useful as a smaller BC-kept knife with a blunt tip. But I wouldn't want to defend myself with one of those. I also bought a couple of powerheads, which are explosive (.45 caliber) tips that normally go on the end of spears, for landing bigger fish. These came from a recommendation from a buddy who also dives these waters, and he helped me set them up to ensure personal safety while allowing me something to use in defense, if it came to that.
But he's made himself clear that neither the knife nor a powerhead is to be shown unless the fish is the aggressor, because the shiny metal parts of these tools could well attract them TO me, the antithesis of what I really want in that kind of situation.
In fact, I've been thinking of trading in my BFK (which is stainless) for a titanium one (not so shiny) for this exact reason.
So my question is this... I was planning on buying a polished stainless backplate from FredT, as I really like the super-finished look of the unit. But has anyone had any problems with animals underwater getting a bit too curious about the shiny parts? Maybe I should reconsider that polished surface.
I've seen a lot of people with backplates on this board, yet nobody seems to use the polished ones. What's the deal?
On the other hand to this whole storyline, of course all of my valves and couplers on my hoses are all chrome plated, just like everyone else's... And I've never seen anything attracted to that... Am I worried about nothing?
I've been advised by more than one diver not to wear jewlery or anything shiny under water, for fear of attracting predatory fish. I've heard from people that specifically, barracuda are very curious when it comes to shiny metallic objects.
Now, I've been in the water with some awfully big barracuda... Sharks don't scare me; even the big (15'+) ones; they only bite if they think you're food, which humans don't look or smell like, generally, unless they're a surfer. I've seen lots of divers dive with sharks and they seem more scared of people than the other way around. Of course, the flip side of that is that there is a point in which you simply don't want to be in the water with feeding sharks, and so it takes a little forethought to be able to swim with sharks safely. But barracuda I don't like. I've found that they are much more curious than sharks are, and will come "hang out" sometimes for long periods of time just because. Furthermore, I've found that they don't have to think you're food to attack. Like many land animals such as bears and canines, they are very territorial, and will attack just because you're in their territory, which isn't marked off, if you know what I mean. So it's these critters that I don't like... Particularly the 4' and 5' variety that I often see here in offshore South Carolina, which often "territorialize" the very wrecks and reefs that attract us divers in the first place.
Anyway, in an effort to have SOMETHING that can make me feel a bit more secure in the situation, I've purchased a BFK that I keep strapped to my leg. I'm not crazy about this leg knife... I don't find it nearly as useful as a smaller BC-kept knife with a blunt tip. But I wouldn't want to defend myself with one of those. I also bought a couple of powerheads, which are explosive (.45 caliber) tips that normally go on the end of spears, for landing bigger fish. These came from a recommendation from a buddy who also dives these waters, and he helped me set them up to ensure personal safety while allowing me something to use in defense, if it came to that.
But he's made himself clear that neither the knife nor a powerhead is to be shown unless the fish is the aggressor, because the shiny metal parts of these tools could well attract them TO me, the antithesis of what I really want in that kind of situation.
In fact, I've been thinking of trading in my BFK (which is stainless) for a titanium one (not so shiny) for this exact reason.
So my question is this... I was planning on buying a polished stainless backplate from FredT, as I really like the super-finished look of the unit. But has anyone had any problems with animals underwater getting a bit too curious about the shiny parts? Maybe I should reconsider that polished surface.
I've seen a lot of people with backplates on this board, yet nobody seems to use the polished ones. What's the deal?
On the other hand to this whole storyline, of course all of my valves and couplers on my hoses are all chrome plated, just like everyone else's... And I've never seen anything attracted to that... Am I worried about nothing?
