OP
We were a little lost too. Oh well, he made it up ok, so that's all that really matters. IMHO, the choice of weird hand signals was the most minor mistake he made on that dive..
Hand signal question...
- Thread starter O-ring
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
SueMermaid
Guest
Actually, it is from American Sign Language. You make your hands into the shape of a boat hull and push them away from you, like it's moving.
That's true. I use cupped hands for boat but I have seen this one from time to time too.
Another one I see alot that I don't like is making a T with the hands. Some places I've seen it used to indicate "safety stop" and other places to mean "tank 1/2 empty". I like slicing across one palm with the other hand better for "1/2 empty" but I almost never see it.
R..
"Actually, it is from American Sign Language. You make your hands into the shape of a boat hull and push them away from you, like it's moving."
Yes, but that is not the sign described.
Yes, but that is not the sign described.
Charlie99
Contributor
- Messages
- 7,966
- Reaction score
- 166
- # of dives
- 500 - 999
I believe that the T sign actually means "100", as in "100 bar". That happens to be about 1/2 pressure for a 3000psi tank.
Another scuba dialect (Australian?) uses the index fingers and thumbs together to signal boat.
One that puzzled me for a while was the crossing of index and middle fingers. Used by a couple different operators in Maui to signal "unusual". Turns out is American Sign Language "R" for rare.
A funny sign I made up on the spot was when I saw a group of divers headed up a sand channel off of Key Largo. I was pretty sure they really wanted to go up the next one, so I fully extended both arms out horizontally, then pointed. When they got back on the boat later, they thanked me for pointed them in the right direction for the Christ of the Abyss statue.
"Im pretty sure that's what O-ring was describing "
Read it again.
"Hold your hands together like you are praying and then spread your hands apart at the finger side, keeping your palms together to make a "V" shape."
This sign is either palms flat together with fingers apart (not likely) or wrists together with hands angling out with finger tips at the top of the V (more likely).
The typical sign for boat has hands cupped with little fingers (and that side of the hands) touching and the thumb side of the hands apart. The hands are cupped so that finger tips touch as do the base of the hands (part of the base anyway).
They are not similar.
Read it again.
"Hold your hands together like you are praying and then spread your hands apart at the finger side, keeping your palms together to make a "V" shape."
This sign is either palms flat together with fingers apart (not likely) or wrists together with hands angling out with finger tips at the top of the V (more likely).
The typical sign for boat has hands cupped with little fingers (and that side of the hands) touching and the thumb side of the hands apart. The hands are cupped so that finger tips touch as do the base of the hands (part of the base anyway).
They are not similar.
OP
This is the one...please don't make me take a picture...I haven't had a manicure lately.
This is the sign we use for 'line' and when you make this signal and move your fingers in a figure-8 motion, that mean 'line entanglement'.
Walter, I'm sorry, I read this post very early in the morning, I do the cupping of the hands one for boat, I don't know how I figured out what o-ring was talking about. Its just easier to cave dive so you don't need to know a signal for boat.
This thread is a good one because it shows the importance of reviewing hand signals with your dive buddy during your dive planning.
OP
..and in that guy's case, the importance of not losing your buddy and then your bearings and relying on total strangers who don't use weird boat hand signals to save you...
Similar threads
