Diver identity - how to increase underwater

[MAKO Spearguns]

I have seen people use two different colors of the same model of fin.. Maybe a yellow and blue fin. Perhaps you can find someone else (who you don't dive with) who will split a pair of mis-matched fins of the same size?

Also we recently added an underwater paint which is supposed to adhere well to most dive gear. The first person to send me a pm, gets a free sample - as long as they promise to report back on how well it works - on this thread.

PA55 U-Mark-It Paint | MAKO Spearguns

Thanks

Dano

 

[WarrenZ]

I was going to say dive naked until Bill beat me to it. You can't do orange find because that's how you can tell it's me. I also am usually the only one diving side mount so there's that also. The best one I saw was a novelty hood that worked well.

I also saw a diver swim by with the "staff of power"

Spoiler: Not for easily offended

Staff of Power = 12" black dildo

suction cupped to his tank like a shark fin. I'm not sure if it was an identifier or a prank but I laughed my @$$ off.

 

[hroark2112]

I wear a bright purple Oxycheq wing and yellow Force Fins on vacation. If you can't find me, you're too shallow.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Get a rubber chicken. Tie it to your 1st stage by the feet. When you're horizontal in the water, it'll be standing up on your back.
No, I'm not kidding. Mark at The Dive Bus in Curacao does this and he's really easy to find in a group.

 

[KDAD]

Sent a pm to Dano at @MAKO Spearguns. I need to mark the bottom of my fins plus those of people I dive with. Last time in a case of mistaken identity I swam over to who I thought was my buddy and held her hand while we dove. Finally her husband interrupted my holding his wife's hand underwater. He wasn't too pleased. Neither was my buddy.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Both my wife and I have coloured hoses Which are surprisingly easy to identify (especially when everyone else has black/yellow) We also have some white duct tape on the base of our fins (can't find reflective tape that can stay on in our environment). If I'm guiding I switch to my white fins and white snorkel (which I don't use but is there for identification)

 

[stuartv]

A similar deal to the Scuba DoRag. The SCAP is neoprene and has little rubber dots on the inside to help keep it from sliding around on your forehead. I got one of these for Christmas but haven't gotten to use it yet.

Meet The SCAP - The SCAP

 

[mayday1234]

Get a rubber chicken. Tie it to your 1st stage by the feet. When you're horizontal in the water, it'll be standing up on your back.
No, I'm not kidding. Mark at The Dive Bus in Curacao does this and he's really easy to find in a group.

Okay, this one I like!
I wasn't interested in buying new gear, I wear a do-rag snorkeling and it always falls off, marking the tank is a non-starter (rentals), so this one actually might work.
I've also PMed Mako because that paint might also be an interesting solution - as long as it doesn't flake off (rubber flexing) - someone else mentioned tire chalk on the fins - might also work.

 

[Marie13]

I love the rubber chicken! One diver here has a wife who dives with a pink tutu over her wetsuit. Very visible and doesn't interfere.

 

[Steve_C]

Wear colour mismatched fins.

But really, this is about not paying attention to your buddy. Suppose you had an issue and expected gas from her and she is thinking, "oh look, someone is having an issue - I wonder where his buddy is?".

This is not about Cozumel, or groups of other divers, this is about you and her paying attention to each other.

Not really. Just one example, we are cruising along in a group of 4 (2x2). Viz is say 5 ft. An OW class with an instructor, several OW students desperate to follow the instructor come in from our left. Instructor cuts just in front of us, the OW students crash through our formation. We are all dodging and trying to not get run over. For a bit there was a confused melee of 8-10 divers. Then we had to sort out who was who and try to get the OW back in their covey.

Sometimes you loose track of your buddy especially in low viz situations.

In most OW classes I have observed the divers are in reality taught to follow the DM and not to focus on diving in pairs especially on the tour of the dive site part of the dive.