I'm a SeaSigns instructor if you have any questions

[marinediva]

Very Interesting Thread.
Thanks for the info and site.

 

[EastcoastdiverLLC]

I've been trying to get an instructor course set up in Florida - it's hard to get anyone to respond. Any suggestions?

Contact Seasigns directly, if no instructor trainers are available they can do a course via webcam.

Gary

 

[Walter]

Or simply take a local ASL class.

 

[divecanuck]

Great to see the discussion on SeaSigns. I became a SS Instructor two years ago and offer it complementary to all my DMs. Having it as a PADI Distinctive Specialty is also helpful from a marketing perspective.

I spoke with Suzanne Kiffmann (SS Founder) at DEMA this year and she updated me that it can now be done concurrently with an Open Water course. I'm intending on offering that to my next class that begins tonight.

I teach in Seattle.

 

[divecanuck]

Contact Seasigns directly, if no instructor trainers are available they can do a course via webcam.

Gary

I did my SeaSigns provider course with a Dive Center in California but my Instructor course over the webcam. Suzanne lives in Florida so I'm certain she could direct you to a local Instructor.

 

[divecanuck]

I think for those that are questioning why not just take an ASL course, it's absolutely valid, but SeaSigns tries to fulfill a different objective. If I advertise a language class, people will groan and remind themselves that High School Spanish (or French in my case!) was difficult. They just want to have fun. So it's not marketed as a language class, per se, and that's one of the first things I tell students that they won't learn ASL in 3 hours but they will learn 110 signs, which sounds overwhelming but since it's step-by-step, people are usually amazed that they retained so much.

SeaSigns is a good way to gain a basic vocabulary that helps for fun and safety. Like any language, things can be misinterpreted if both signers don't have the same vocabulary. But since SeaSigns are based on ASL (generally adapted for one-hand use for the diving application), we stand a better chance at being understood, even if the other person isn't SeaSigns-trained.

I think where SeaSigns really excels is when you add the ASL modifers to it. Rather than just saying "crab" you could be more specific and talk about the 'porcelain crab' or 'dungeness' for example. This gives those interested an opportunity to be even more expressive without overwhelming those that just want a basic vocabulary.

The other part of SeaSigns that I really enjoy - and someone said it here already - is that students quickly make up their own signs and people are quickly laughing and having a good time. Fun to teach. Fun to learn.

 

[bbdqsony]

I'm deaf and I do use sign language... I looked at seasign website and I happen to see "Shark" card and it's not what ASL use for "Shark."

 

[Law5Guy]

I'm deaf and I do use sign language... I looked at seasign website and I happen to see "Shark" card and it's not what ASL use for "Shark."

There is a small bit, but logical bit of difference.

The ASL sign shows what you would see of a shark from the shore, a pier, a boat, a surfboard... the dorsal fin poking trough the surface of the water.

American Sign Language Shark:
http://www.lessontutor.com/ASLshark.gif

The SeaSign Shark does not include the surface of the water, because... well... most likely when scuba diving, the shark you will see is below the surface.

SeaSign Shark:
http://www.seasigns.com/Images/Shark.gif

Check out SeaSigns Methods page for the critera for a sign:
SeaSigns Underwater Communication Signing Methods

What criteria did SeaSigns use to select the signs?
•Best express the meanings of the words
•Are easy to make and read underwater in full gear
•Are easy to learn and remember
•Can be made 1-handed, when sign available
•Are most like a widely used dive sign, if the sign is not considered obscene

Note: The typical diver 'shark' sign... "Fin" to forehead, is considered obscene in ASL.

 

[Walter]

The typical diver 'shark' sign... "Fin" to forehead, is considered obscene in ASL.

Not really. The B hand to the forehead means "bastard" in ASL, but that's not the diver's sign for "shark." Most divers use an open palm, not a B hand and the hand moves to the top of the head, not to the forhead.

 

[Law5Guy]

Not really. The B hand to the forehead means "bastard" in ASL, but that's not the diver's sign for "shark." Most divers use an open palm, not a B hand and the hand moves to the top of the head, not to the forhead.

Interesting..


SeaSigns Underwater Communication Frequently Asked Questions
Note regarding the shark sign:

Shark - Please do NOT to use the commonly used sign with the flat hand with the thumb side placed on the middle of the forehead. The sign is easy to make incorrectly. Even if the sign is made correctly it can be easily mistaken for an obscene sign. My signing nephew from inland US took his open water test in Hawaii. Without first explaining the commonly used sign for shark the instructor attempted to point out a shark to my nephew during the dive. My nephew was very upset when he surfaced from the dive. He felt he must have done something very wrong - for his instructor to call him a bastard!