IT amazes me that as diving becomes ever more safety-conscious, we are caught up in a fashionable safety hazard. I am talking about technical black.
It has become almost a standard. Technical divers wear black, mere mortals wear the nice, bright colours that shout “Diving is fun!”.
The Marines wear black because it makes them harder to see, and you can't blame them. But with separation on and under water a leading contributor to sport diving accidents, do we really want to make ourselves harder to see?
The average technical diver can maintain buddy contact in challenging conditions and cope with separation should it occur. They are old enough to decide if they want to wear black.
But, like the Black Death, an epidemic of technical black is spreading itself across all sorts of diving equipment aimed at the average diver. Instructors wear gear that influences the divers they are training. If you don't believe me, ask a few suppliers about instructor discount (as an instructor, I think it's a great idea!).
The equipment we see being used on expeditions influences divers. Just look at all that nice new black gear being worn on the Britanic expeditions. Again, I have nothing against sponsoring expeditions, some of them are a terrific achievement. It's just a shame when sponsorship re-enforces a message to “buy black”.
We now have a self-reinforcing circle. Manufacturers are both following consumer demand and fuelling further demand.
Some do appreciate that despite market forces a responsible attitude is needed, and they offer reflective stripes and bright colours at no additional cost. Others charge extra for non-black.
No matter what colour the manufactures are pushing, it really comes back to us, the diving consumer. We consumers need to demand diving suits and BCs in nice, bright colours. We must set a fashion where divers will once again be easily visible and one that looks much better in photographs!