Why we use Red Camo!

The Vermilion series of wetsuits (3 generations) were our most popular wetsuit by a looooong way!! Not only were they extremely well built and super comfortable due to the Titanium lining (see yesterday’s post) but the red/purple camo was eye catching and looked amazing! Our Team of divers and loyal customers have shot some amazing fish in these suits, from the Coast to the Coral Sea however there was more to the design than you might have thought, so let me explain this and give you a better understanding as to why we use red camouflage in our designs.

If you have ever noticed how colours change when diving to different depths, you would know that red disappears at less than 15 feet (4.5m). Following our colours of the rainbow, orange is next at around 25 feet, yellow at 35, green at 65, and finally blue is absorbed at around 200 feet. So while red might seem like it may be bright in appearance, the fact is it blends in better at depth than any other colour!

Not only this but red is a highly visible colour especially when you are on the surface. Red and orange seem to be the clear winner when it comes to eye-catching colours and studies show that the colour red is picked up the fastest with the human eye. These colours tend to stand out and are therefore used on many warning signs or safety equipment.

We also did research on what fish might see comparing different camouflage colours of red vs green (reef/rocks/weed and blue (ocean)?

Red – If you’re diving up to 5 metres, red will be visible to fish, but will quickly lose its vibrancy if you go any deeper. If you want to stay incognito, go for red on your deep dives.

Blue/Green – These two colours will remain visible to a fish for as long as light is able to penetrate the water. As a snorkeller you’re unlikely to go that deep, so if you want to make sure the fish are able to see you then go for blues and greens!

So while you think a green or blue camo might match the environment, the fact is red is a much better option for blending in, hiding from fish all while being highly visible on the surface for boat captains to see you and/or avoiding potential boat traffic accidents.