So, you're going to be using painted tanks, valves, and everything else so
that nothing is silver colored? <snicker>

I have a Seiko dive watch that I bought in 1976 and have used it for diving
since then... I've yet to find it attract a shark or barracuda...

Absolutely.

 Tell your friend not to believe everything he sees on the Discovery channel.
               

                                   Popeye  
  Man is certainly stark mad. He cannot even make a worm,
           and yet he will be making gods by the dozens.

Last year I was in Cayman Brac.  We had just finished our dive and I was
doing a safety stop.

A barracuda was hovering nearby so I raised my camera to get a picture.
 I noticed the cuda started to slowly turn in my direction and was
showing some interest in me.  I don't know if he was attracted by light
reflecting off my camera lens or casing or what, but I was wearing my
wedding band and thought perhaps that might have gotten his (?)
attention.  I repositioned my hand so my wedding band was not visible
and the cuda turned back away from me.  So take that for what its worth.

Before then and since then, I have encountered barracuda and none have
ever shown any interest in me or my equipment and I do have some shiny
items on my gear.

Also, FWIW, all of the barracuda I have seen have been fairly high off
the ocean floor, however, this year I was in Cozumel, and saw one only a
few inches off the ocean floor.  Not that its a problem either way, I
just had never seen a barracuda staying that close to the bottom before.

Barracuda, if it is a regularly dived area don't pay much attention to
you.  At least that has been my experience.  Once was a school of
hundreds on a reef in Key Largo - right smack dab in the middle of them
I was a little antsy - but they could have cared less.

Don't have any bait in your pocket!

I'm thinking you're 100% dead-on right!  Here is why.  Found two dive
watches on the bottom, both shiny Timex's.  It could be the sharks or
barracudas eat the diver and leave the watch.  Finally a plausible
explanation.

Now, for the risk factor.  I'm thinking getting attacked by a shark or
barracuda while diving or snorkeling because you are wearing a shiny Timex
watch is about as likely as the brown skid mark in your underwear being
Crayola crayon.  That's just a guess, not scientific.

When I first started diving, I had a chrome ring around the lens of my mask,
a chrome regulator in my mouth, a chrome regulator and valve at the back of
my neck.  I presently have a stainless dive watch and band and occasionally
shine a flashlight on various things, including my shiny watch.  So far, my
face, mouth, neck and wrist are all intact.

The fish you are concerned about are predators and shiny fish are part of
their prey.  They hunt by a combination of scent, sight and other senses.
In anything approaching reasonable visibility, you neither smell like or
look like their food.  In low visibility, you might look a little more like
food, but not a lot.  If you're worried, stay out of low visibility water.

One more thing, don't try to prove me wrong by deliberately flashing light
off your watch toward a barracuda.  Darwin may not favor you if you do.

Lee

Absolutely!  But you can do better with gold, and gold doesn't tarnish.
That's why I dive with 20 ozs of 24K gold, and that's not counting
my gold watch.  They must attract the sharks.  How else can you
explain that fact that some folks never saw a shark when they
dive and:

I saw hundreds of hammerheads and whitetip sharks in Cocos Island.
I saw lots of sharks every time I dive the Blue Corner in Palau.
I saw hundreds of Caribbean reefs, bulls and silkies in the Bahamas.
I saw various sharks in every one of the dozens of French Polynesian
islands where I dived.

I almost forgot to mention, if you wear a lot of gold, then you don't
have to use as much lead in your weightbelt.

But I must admit that gold doesn't attract whale sharks or the Great
Whites.  

-- Bob.

As a public service to you and your family I will keep all your family's
jewelry until your return.  Does anyone in your family have diamonds? They are
particularly dangerous and you should send those to me immediately.  

bj
chicago