Need a hand signal for "Wow"

[Vtdiver2]

I use the "hang loose" sign

We do the same sign
Chris

 

[Vtdiver2]

The hang loose symbol is cool but could be mistaken for a thumb in some circumstances, so I do a similar one where I extend the pinky and index finger

If you do the hang loose sign right, then the thumb is going left to right, so it isn't confused with "up" or "down".
For directions we use the index finger, as in a "finger gun", so the signs are all different enough not to confuse. Also, in low vis situations, we do the hand sign in front of our light, to make it easier to see.
Chris

 

[Vtdiver2]

Yesterday I actually had company while snorkelling (thanks guys!) and we were looking around for cool critters. Ok so I do the look signal than point at the critter in question and my buddy signs ok if he sees it or gives me a wierd look if he can't see what I'm looking at. Sometimes there was more than one critter in the area where I was pointing so it was difficult to get my point across. If it was a crab or something grabable I finally had to resort to picking it up and handing it to my buddy. Like I found a BIG crab who had lost a fight with something else much bigger (that I didn't want to meet) and was missing both claws. I thought this was particularly ineresting so the crab got handed to my buddy but I prefer not to interfere with the marine life if I don't have to.

So I need signs for:
crab
grouper
you just missed the sennet AGAIN!
cunner
tataug
butterfly fish

For a crab we do the devils horns ( index and pinky extended), for a lobster, we make a pinching claw with our hand. You're on your own for the rest
Chris

 

[Tom Winters]

Despite the predive briefing about what it meant, a lot of my intro Canadian customers would get all worked up underwater and start doing the the thumbs-up sign while they were thrashing around to see more. As soon as I would grab them for the mandatory ascent, then the "ok" signs would start, they'd calm down, and we could all finish the dive. They just love that thumbs-up stuff, eh?

 

[RumBum]

So I need signs for:
crab
grouper
you just missed the sennet AGAIN!
cunner
tataug
butterfly fish

Ok here is the type of situation where fingerspelling the name of the creature using ASL would work wonderfully. You just can't make up signs for every fish in the sea, but you can spell out the name of it. I guess you can try to make up a sign for every creature in the sea but you probably have better things to do, then of course no one else will want to learn all your stupid signs you just made up. I know someone out there is going well there's Scubasigns! I want to tell you, there are too many words to make up a sign for each of them. Scubasigns is overly complex and that is why most divers don't learn them. I understand that ASL is AMERICAN so that maybe a French deaf diver would not understand you but, hey, I couldn't understand a hearing French guy on land since I don't speak French very well. Using ASL underwater seems slightly more standardized than what we have now (every diver makes up his own signs). We do have some standardized scuba signs, of course, OK, UP, DOWN, etc, but really there is not enough to communicate effectively. If all divers learned basic finger spelling then strangers could be dive buddies and communicate underwater! WOW!

 

[Tavi]

Don't give my wife any ideas!! :angry:

I like only having minimal communication underwater!! :blink:

 

[mstevens]

We just make the standard "OK" sign and wave it around like crazy. It seems to get the point across, and works well with other divers we run into underwater with whom we haven't had a chance to do a pre-dive review. A shaka or any other sign that isn't in the basic openwater course wouldn't work under those circumstances.

My 10 year-old, though, usually just does a few barrel rolls or somersaults.

 

[TSandM]

Well, I tried the shaka sign today with the instructor I was diving with, when we found the most brilliantly colored juvenile wolf eel, but it didn't connect with him. I think I'll go back to making the OK sign, nodding, and trying to emit excited body language

 

[ChillyWaters]

Despite the predive briefing about what it meant, a lot of my intro Canadian customers would get all worked up underwater and start doing the the thumbs-up sign while they were thrashing around to see more. As soon as I would grab them for the mandatory ascent, then the "ok" signs would start, they'd calm down, and we could all finish the dive. They just love that thumbs-up stuff, eh?

>> They just love that thumbs-up stuff, eh?

Nope. Thumbs down to your post though, eh?

- ChillyWaters

 

[Prudent_Rabbit]

WOW is an easy sign to make, left hand using thumb and first finger make an L shape, do the same with the right hand (makes a backward L shape). Now join together at the end of the thumbs and make a W.

Bring the ends of your Fingers together to make an O and then back to a W

W O W - easy and used so much when you know!!