Do Certain Colors Attract Sharks?

Have you ever heard someone say sharks have a favorite color? It’s a long believed myth that that sharks like the color yellow. Sharks see a more a narrow color range than humans do and their eyes are adapted to see in low light conditions under water. As you go deeper into water colors become less visible so their eyes are more in tune to seeing contrast than different colors like humans do.

If we look at a color wheel the contrasting colors for blue (aka the color of water) we see yellow and orange. It makes sense that sharks eyes would be adapted to see contrast well when we think about hunting. For example If you’re a reef shark cruising around trying to spot fish to eat that are A: relatively small and B: trying to hide from you it’d be a lot easier to see your prey if the fish is yellow, orange, pink etc rather than blue! There is truth to the fact that sharks can see contrasting colors better in water but there isn’t any solid research on the topic to support that yellow has a larger effect than other contrasting colors.

Now don’t go running to your closet and throw away any of your brightly colored swimsuits. Yes sharks see contrasting colors better in the water and there is a chance they may be more likely to investigate what it is but you have to remember sharks are not looking to eat humans. The chance of a shark attack is extremely low and you’re more likely to die from a cow, car, icicle and a list of many other things that I promise you you’ve encountered way more than sharks. I can probably bet you aren’t about to go sell your car and walk everywhere after reading statistics about car crashes or seeing one on the news. 

High contrast colors for swimwear can be a good thing for parents wanting to easily spot their kids at the pool or beach for safety reasons and decrease chances of drowning. Safety flotation devices, dive flags and buoys are often high contrast colors as well to make them easier to spot. 

 Bottom line, no you don’t need to throw out your yellow bikini but remember the ocean is their home not ours and we need to respect it. If you’re passionate about our oceans and sharks I welcome you to check out our small business. We make sustainable swimwear with custom hand drawn prints inspired by our oceans. If you ever need a shark bikini you know where to find us!