I have a yellow duck attached to my 1st stage with a small cord, it floats above my head and makes easy for my wife to find me. And it does get a lot of attention from fish. But smaller ones tends to be annoying. Sharks get interested in it but for a brief moment (nothing too close for comfort) They more interested in chum on feeding dives. 😂
Me: Yellow Wing, yellow fins, yellow long hose, yellow mask, lime green rash guard. The sharks I‘ve seen so far weren‘t particularly more interested in me over the other generic black divers.
One pair of my fins is yellow, one is blue, another is black. I’ve never seen a difference. The sharks I’ve encountered are either curious or shy and it doesn’t seem to matter which fins (or colour tank) I’m using.
In terms of things I would be worrying about, sharks eating my fins are not really on the list. Loosing your dive buddy or underwater mix ups because everyone looks the same is probably a more likely scenario. Following that surface visibility. Having a bit of colour or some way of easily being recognised is probably more important for most divers.
News Flash! 99.9% of all animals including fish can only see in black ,white or shades of gray. The only 'animals' who can see actual colors are humans and the great apes.
#ASKMARK Interesting comment about the cones in the eye. I have a great kind of shark anecdote Martin Woodward told me. When he was 16 he used to snorkell round Shanklin or Sandown Pier..He had a lobster pot on a corner of the pier and noticed a guy in a wetsuit playing about with his pot..He also noticed a fisherman selling a couple of small sharks that had been caught..So he bought one. Took it in the sea with him. Due to their boyancy they act like a dart. So the guy was still in the water. So he snook up behind the chap and launched it at him, More or less driving in his back. The guy shot to the surface so quickly screaming that Martin nearly swallowed watee from laughing so much. By the way if ever you are on the Isle of Wight let me know and you can have a free visit at the Isle of Wight Shipwreck and Maritime museum.
#askmark Hey mark, quick question about carying cylinders. Does it really matter if you carry the cylinder by its valve? During my open water i was told its a bad idea. I work in a dive shop though and everyone carries the cylinders by the valves. So does carying a cylinder by its valve comprise the threading?
In a perfect HSE / OSHA world we would carefully transport cylinders on a sack barrow or trolley with dedicated handles around the body of the cylinder. But, we don't have the time for all of that. I will say: look after your back regardless of how you hold cylinders so your back doesn't suffer in later years. The closer to the neck or the body of the cylinder you can carry it, the better. You're more likely to stretch the threads by overfilling a cylinder than by picking it up by the valve. But you also don't want to damage the valve knob by holding onto the end of that. Hold the cylinder so that the palm of your hand covers the far side of the opening with fingers either side so that the weight is more evenly distributed.
#Askmark will you be doing a review on the new Suunto Ocean Watch? Also as someone doing their open water soon would you suggest getting familiar with your own dive watch, whilst doing the open water, rather than looking at other bits of equipment like a BC or regulator. I’ve heard dive computers with dive schools tend to be notoriously unreliable with breakages? (I already have fins, mask and a wetsuit as I snorkel as well)
Yes, I've had a Suunto Ocean for about 4 days now and I'll make a video on it for next week. I'd recommend your own computer over regs or a BCD. But I wouldn't worry too much about getting your own dive computer for Open Water. It'll be cool to have your own and get used to it from the start. But you'll be focusing on your skills and buoyancy at the start.
Nope. But I haven't been on a shark-feeding dive which may have stricter dress codes. Even on dives in shark territory I've never been asked to leave brightly coloured gear behind
#Askmark Thanks Mark for the grate content and advice. I have been told that using my regulators and BCD in the pool could damge them is there any truth to this or are there spcial precautions that I shod take to protect them when in the pool ?
Yes, chlorinated water can damage your equipment after repeated and extended exposure. The chlorine and any other pool chemicals can degrade certain parts of the BCD and discolour and harden them. This takes a long time depending on how much chemical is in the water but, I would still wash my gear in soapy fresh water after a pool dive to wash off any chlorine and maximise the lifetime of my gear.
#Askmark I am turning 17 this year, should I look into a drysuit and a drysuit course to take or should I wait until I stop growing. It’s just we live in Massachusetts and it’s cold. I have tried a semi dry but am still curious what you think. I’m an advanced open water diver and am looking for the next step
Your best option for owning a drysuit would be a front-entry drysuit with socks. Most front-entry drysuits have a telescopic body so your height doesn't matter too much. Socks, instead of integrated boots, require rock boots to go over the top. So you can get a larger size and grow into them. Personally I would rent until you know that you've stopped growing or find a good 2nd hand drysuit that fits you, my first drysuit was 2nd hand. Drysuits are definitely a level up for longer and colder dives so, I would recommend the Drysuit Course. I would do that first, talk to your Instructor and get the skills and then see what drysuits are out there.
Years ago a read an article about a guy that was testing wet suits that had sea snake patterns on them and it seemed to repel sharks. I had not seen any more about this until I saw your comment!
I know Nammu Tech make something similar. If you have access to a 3D printer and the know-how I imagine it would be easy to make something like this. The DIY QR fitting that I've used before involves an O-ring looped over the eye of the boltsnap and zip-tied around the hose. It hold the 2nd stage in place but a strong yank will break the O-ring and the 2nd stage will come free. I made a video how to do it here: ruclips.net/video/O6ZbaVZW2Vc/видео.htmlsi=xfbJvcIHXrH7PRv8&t=344
#askmark I am a tall skinny guy and very LEG heavy. I don't need much weight to sink but if it is round my waist, my trim is terrible. I usually add some weight to my tank band but need to add enough to compensate for my Dump-able weight around my waist. Is it worth just having a small amount of non Dump-able weight, or should I still have some that I can get rid of if needed. Thanks
It's all a balancing act. You need to think about what's pulling you up and what's pulling you down and you want to try to balance their positions. I'd start with cylinder height. Moving the cylinder up a bit might help drop your shoulders. Your leg position can also help. If your legs are outstretched all of their -ve buoyancy and your fins will pull your legs down more. But focusing on bending your knees after your fin kick should also help. With weights, I always like to be able to drop some lead to be able to float. But if your legs are sinking then I would definitely put some lead higher up towards your shoulders. Not all of your weight but with enough lead that you can still drop and maintain +ve buoyancy.
Put simply - yellow reads as white to a predatory fish. So a black & white fish reads as white stripes underwater. Sharks are attracted to whites, silvers etc - that’s why you don’t dangle bare fingers out in front of you when predatory fish are around
Hi Mark I‘m still looking for a good drysuit, but I wonder how long does they last? I know it’s not possible to tell it exactly like: A Seac warm will last exactly 9y11m. But I guess there are so many experiance it should be possible to tell it more or less, I guess there are also enough experiance with different brands. I asked once someone from a dive shop he meant: €10/dive so a €800 dry suit would last 80 dives. Maybe true but maybe just a way to sell expensive dry suits. This is why I thought I should do an #askmark 🫶 Thanks for your tips and answer. Ben
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I have a yellow duck attached to my 1st stage with a small cord, it floats above my head and makes easy for my wife to find me. And it does get a lot of attention from fish. But smaller ones tends to be annoying. Sharks get interested in it but for a brief moment (nothing too close for comfort)
They more interested in chum on feeding dives. 😂
Me: Yellow Wing, yellow fins, yellow long hose, yellow mask, lime green rash guard.
The sharks I‘ve seen so far weren‘t particularly more interested in me over the other generic black divers.
Were they Lemon Sharks?
One pair of my fins is yellow, one is blue, another is black. I’ve never seen a difference. The sharks I’ve encountered are either curious or shy and it doesn’t seem to matter which fins (or colour tank) I’m using.
just did my first dive where i saw sharks, absolutely loved it. this is really good information, thank you!
In terms of things I would be worrying about, sharks eating my fins are not really on the list. Loosing your dive buddy or underwater mix ups because everyone looks the same is probably a more likely scenario. Following that surface visibility.
Having a bit of colour or some way of easily being recognised is probably more important for most divers.
News Flash! 99.9% of all animals including fish can only see in black ,white or shades of gray. The only 'animals' who can see actual colors are humans and the great apes.
Mark never had a teddy bear...he had and still has his fluffy shark ;) 😅
#ASKMARK Interesting comment about the cones in the eye. I have a great kind of shark anecdote Martin Woodward told me. When he was 16 he used to snorkell round Shanklin or Sandown Pier..He had a lobster pot on a corner of the pier and noticed a guy in a wetsuit playing about with his pot..He also noticed a fisherman selling a couple of small sharks that had been caught..So he bought one. Took it in the sea with him. Due to their boyancy they act like a dart. So the guy was still in the water. So he snook up behind the chap and launched it at him, More or less driving in his back. The guy shot to the surface so quickly screaming that Martin nearly swallowed watee from laughing so much. By the way if ever you are on the Isle of Wight let me know and you can have a free visit at the Isle of Wight Shipwreck and Maritime museum.
#askmark
Hey mark, quick question about carying cylinders. Does it really matter if you carry the cylinder by its valve? During my open water i was told its a bad idea. I work in a dive shop though and everyone carries the cylinders by the valves. So does carying a cylinder by its valve comprise the threading?
In a perfect HSE / OSHA world we would carefully transport cylinders on a sack barrow or trolley with dedicated handles around the body of the cylinder. But, we don't have the time for all of that. I will say: look after your back regardless of how you hold cylinders so your back doesn't suffer in later years.
The closer to the neck or the body of the cylinder you can carry it, the better. You're more likely to stretch the threads by overfilling a cylinder than by picking it up by the valve. But you also don't want to damage the valve knob by holding onto the end of that.
Hold the cylinder so that the palm of your hand covers the far side of the opening with fingers either side so that the weight is more evenly distributed.
#Askmark will you be doing a review on the new Suunto Ocean Watch? Also as someone doing their open water soon would you suggest getting familiar with your own dive watch, whilst doing the open water, rather than looking at other bits of equipment like a BC or regulator. I’ve heard dive computers with dive schools tend to be notoriously unreliable with breakages? (I already have fins, mask and a wetsuit as I snorkel as well)
Yes, I've had a Suunto Ocean for about 4 days now and I'll make a video on it for next week.
I'd recommend your own computer over regs or a BCD. But I wouldn't worry too much about getting your own dive computer for Open Water. It'll be cool to have your own and get used to it from the start. But you'll be focusing on your skills and buoyancy at the start.
@mark - have you been asked by a dive centre/liveaboard to switch coloured for black gear for particular sharks dives?
Nope. But I haven't been on a shark-feeding dive which may have stricter dress codes.
Even on dives in shark territory I've never been asked to leave brightly coloured gear behind
Love the “red flag to a bull” statement, bulls can’t see red either, they are attracted to the movement 😉.
I was wondering if anybody would catch that. Batman taught me that
#Askmark Thanks Mark for the grate content and advice. I have been told that using my regulators and BCD in the pool could damge them is there any truth to this or are there spcial precautions that I shod take to protect them when in the pool ?
Yes, chlorinated water can damage your equipment after repeated and extended exposure. The chlorine and any other pool chemicals can degrade certain parts of the BCD and discolour and harden them.
This takes a long time depending on how much chemical is in the water but, I would still wash my gear in soapy fresh water after a pool dive to wash off any chlorine and maximise the lifetime of my gear.
Thanks appreciate the advise
#Askmark I am turning 17 this year, should I look into a drysuit and a drysuit course to take or should I wait until I stop growing. It’s just we live in Massachusetts and it’s cold. I have tried a semi dry but am still curious what you think. I’m an advanced open water diver and am looking for the next step
Your best option for owning a drysuit would be a front-entry drysuit with socks. Most front-entry drysuits have a telescopic body so your height doesn't matter too much. Socks, instead of integrated boots, require rock boots to go over the top. So you can get a larger size and grow into them.
Personally I would rent until you know that you've stopped growing or find a good 2nd hand drysuit that fits you, my first drysuit was 2nd hand. Drysuits are definitely a level up for longer and colder dives so, I would recommend the Drysuit Course. I would do that first, talk to your Instructor and get the skills and then see what drysuits are out there.
Bulls don’t see red as well. They are attracted to movement
Sea snake patterns do repel them, has been tested
Years ago a read an article about a guy that was testing wet suits that had sea snake patterns on them and it seemed to repel sharks. I had not seen any more about this until I saw your comment!
@@bugman9787 Yes saw that too It actually does work
#Askmark DIY breakaway clip? I have looked at the Razor ones, but I can't find anything similar elsewhere, and shipping to me is a pain.
I know Nammu Tech make something similar. If you have access to a 3D printer and the know-how I imagine it would be easy to make something like this.
The DIY QR fitting that I've used before involves an O-ring looped over the eye of the boltsnap and zip-tied around the hose. It hold the 2nd stage in place but a strong yank will break the O-ring and the 2nd stage will come free. I made a video how to do it here:
ruclips.net/video/O6ZbaVZW2Vc/видео.htmlsi=xfbJvcIHXrH7PRv8&t=344
#askmark I am a tall skinny guy and very LEG heavy. I don't need much weight to sink but if it is round my waist, my trim is terrible. I usually add some weight to my tank band but need to add enough to compensate for my Dump-able weight around my waist. Is it worth just having a small amount of non Dump-able weight, or should I still have some that I can get rid of if needed. Thanks
It's all a balancing act. You need to think about what's pulling you up and what's pulling you down and you want to try to balance their positions.
I'd start with cylinder height. Moving the cylinder up a bit might help drop your shoulders. Your leg position can also help. If your legs are outstretched all of their -ve buoyancy and your fins will pull your legs down more. But focusing on bending your knees after your fin kick should also help.
With weights, I always like to be able to drop some lead to be able to float. But if your legs are sinking then I would definitely put some lead higher up towards your shoulders. Not all of your weight but with enough lead that you can still drop and maintain +ve buoyancy.
Guys, I mean most scuba tanks are in bright colour anyway, so….
Put simply - yellow reads as white to a predatory fish. So a black & white fish reads as white stripes underwater. Sharks are attracted to whites, silvers etc - that’s why you don’t dangle bare fingers out in front of you when predatory fish are around
aaah shit ... my wetsuit are yellow
Hi Mark
I‘m still looking for a good drysuit, but I wonder how long does they last? I know it’s not possible to tell it exactly like: A Seac warm will last exactly 9y11m.
But I guess there are so many experiance it should be possible to tell it more or less, I guess there are also enough experiance with different brands.
I asked once someone from a dive shop he meant: €10/dive so a €800 dry suit would last 80 dives.
Maybe true but maybe just a way to sell expensive dry suits.
This is why I thought I should do an #askmark 🫶
Thanks for your tips and answer.
Ben