There is no easy answer; both are good choices for improved visibility. Different colors are seen to differing degrees by the human eye, meaning people are more sensitive to some colors than others. Peak sensitivity is at portion of the visible spectrum where yellow transitions to green. With that in mind, most people will have the highest sensitivity to a fluorescent yellow-green color (aka chartreuse, greenish-yellow, neon green) just by the nature of how the human eye sees colors. Fluorescent yellow-green is somewhat more visible in dim light due to the Purkinje effect, however the blaze orange color is still on the brighter end of the spectrum making it highly visible too. Blaze orange also provides more contrast with some backgrounds, especially those common to diving. Another thing to consider is there are an estimated 300 million people with some degree of color vision deficiency - most of whom are male; about 1 in 12 men are color blind (8%). Color vision deficient individuals may better perceive blaze orange due to contrast. The choices of blaze orange and florescent yellow-green have been extensively studied by human factors experts for applications such as transportation signage and high-visibility clothing.

We are not aware of any studies specifically for diving applications, however the other studies along with the science and the experience of our customers provides some guidance for our recommendations. In well lighted conditions, the blaze orange color is highly visible and by far the most popular color selected for safety items. Studies suggest the best compromise choice for all lighting conditions is the florescent yellow-green color. Regardless, it is proven that adding a Retroflective stripe to either of those colors will greatly increase their visibility.