Any other interesting/fun hand signal stories?

[DukeAMO]

Hand signals can be interesting. It kind of makes sense that signals for sea life vary, but every dive shop so far has told us to use different signals for showing the PSI remaining. (OK, that's only 4 dive shops, but still...)

Funny story - when diving in Cozumel, the signal I had learned for 700 PSI (two fingers, sideways) was what they used for 200 PSI. I really freaked out the DM. He went into emergency rescue mode, had us start to ascend, signalled "out of air", deflated my BCD, and had his octo ready to go before he looked at my console and saw that I still had 700 PSI remaining. Then he did a facepalm, and we finished our ascent/safety stop normally. I apologized profusely on the surface, of course. How embarrassing.

 

[Kitty_Kat]

And that's where talking about hand signals during the pre dive briefing comes in handy...

I have one good hand signal story - I was in the middle of doing a reef survey, when my buddy started tapping me frantically. After pulling my head out from under the coral I was measuring, I noticed that he was doing the same 3 signals over and over: spreading his hands as far apart as he could, pointing frantically at his a**, and then closing one hand like it was biting something. Naturally, my first thought was that he had been bitten/stung by something on his behind... Since we had already had some nice encounters with lionfish and eels on this survey trip, I didn't want him on the bottom if he was reacting badly to the sting/bite, so I decided to try to surface him. The two of us spent a solid 30 seconds grappling as i was trying to get control of him and he was resisting me, until he finally managed to get me to turn around and look. I then noticed that there was a good sized shark swimming around near where I had been working.... Turns out he had been trying to signal "big a** shark" since he was new to the station and this was the first shark he had seen. Why he didn't just make the shark fin sign i don't know but it made for a pretty good laugh when we both got to the surface!

 

[00wabbit]

I just learned these 2 signals from the dive operator in St Lucia.

If you want to know where the boat is you can swim up to him and shrug and then make the boat signal. He will reply by pointing to his eye, then to his left chest, then to the direction of the boat. This translates to Eye, Left Tit, There ( I left it there) If you want him to write something down then you point at your right chest and then make the down signal. This translates to Right Tit, Down ( Right it down)

Those were fun for the boat to learn.

 

[NotUnderwater]

A friend tells the story of being buddied up with a stranger, an attractive woman, while on a liveaboard a few years ago. On most of their dives, she'd bring a camera, but the one dive he wanted her to take a picture of something, the camera was nowhere to be found. He signals a shrug with two palms up to ask "where" and then holds a rectangle in front of his face and wiggles an index finger for "camera". She responds by grabbing her left breast, then making the sign for "boat".

Not comprehending, he again asks: "where" and "camera". She responds again by grabbing her left breast and signing "boat".

Once they are back in the boat he tried clarifying what he wanted. The interesting part is that she understood, but was trying to explain that she had ...

Left tit on the boat

 

[DukeAMO]

 

[TSandM]

I can't equal the camera story . . . but I was diving one night with a buddy I enjoy but don't get to see nearly as often as I would like. We were a buddy pair, diving with my husband and a new diver. We had moseyed through the dive, and at one point, my buddy swam over and signaled, "Question," followed by making fists and putting them one on top of another. Although I had never seen this signal before, I knew IMMEDIATELY that he was asking me if we should visit the rock pile which had recently had octopuses under it. What amazed me was how understandable a totally new signal to me was!

 

[Peter_C]

Funny story - when diving in Cozumel, the signal I had learned for 700 PSI (two fingers, sideways) was what they used for 200 PSI.

Habit for my to do all numbers between 6-9 that way. Our DM complained back on the boat that I was flashing gang signs at him. Most everyone I dive with does it that way. Figured an experienced diver would understand, as I signaled 1,700 slowly and clearly. Oh well at least he just ignored me, and carried on about the dive.

 

[fisheater]

Habit for my to do all numbers between 6-9 that way. Our DM complained back on the boat that I was flashing gang signs at him. Most everyone I dive with does it that way. Figured an experienced diver would understand, as I signaled 1,700 slowly and clearly. Oh well at least he just ignored me, and carried on about the dive.

That's how the crew signals the crab count on Deadliest Catch, too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tajkd]

I had a tough time searching for the mermaid statue on Grand Cayman when I ran into an instructor in the sand with his student. I made the " two hands in front of me squeezing" signal. He knew immediately that I was looking for the mermaid and pointed the direction with a disgusted look on his face. Well, at least he understood the sign...

 

[keyshunter]

There is a small tropical reef fish: Halichoeres bivattatus, common name: Slippery Dick. I have seen some "interesting" hand signals for them.