Hand signals procedure

[TikTok]

Lets say your buddy wants to call the dive. He gives you the thumbs up signal to ascend. What is the correct procedure then? We were taught to give the OK first (indicating we are fine) and then the thumbs up to indcate we are complying with the plan.

However, when I did this to my (new) buddy on my last dive, he continued swimming (not ascending) straight after I gave the OK. At first I worried I had 'forced' him to stay down by signalling I was fine. It was only after the dive that he said he had confused thumbs up for "all is well". When he saw my correct OK sign, he just continued. We really should have worked more on our communication in the boat I guess, but anyway - what is the correct procedure for these signals?

 

[scubatim2004]

Ok Is Ok Thumbs Up Is Assend

 

[Li'l38]

Lets say your buddy wants to call the dive. He gives you the thumbs up signal to ascend. What is the correct procedure then? We were taught to give the OK first (indicating we are fine) and then the thumbs up to indcate we are complying with the plan.

However, when I did this to my (new) buddy on my last dive, he continued swimming (not ascending) straight after I gave the OK. At first I worried I had 'forced' him to stay down by signalling I was fine. It was only after the dive that he said he had confused thumbs up for "all is well". When he saw my correct OK sign, he just continued. We really should have worked more on our communication in the boat I guess, but anyway - what is the correct procedure for these signals?

Learning from small mistakes is a good thing. Lots of newbies (myself included) forget, and use the 'thumbs up' signal instead of the OK. It takes a conscious effort, and sometimes a reminder just before the dive. After the dive, review the tiny mistakes that were made. That's how you make it become second nature and avoid a more serious problem. Be sure your buddy understands if he is LOA and needs to ascend (or vice versa) the dive is done. No one should ever feel they are/were forced to stay down just because one of you still has air. In my PADI class, the correct procedure taught was to indicate LOA (fist to your chest) then the thumbs up- then, you ascend together.

 

[jonnythan]

A command signal such as "abort the dive" needs to be unambiguous and the reply needs to be unambiguous as well.

Therefore, a command such as "abort the dive" or "head that way" needs to be replied to using the same signal to show that you understand and there is no confusion.

If someone gives you the thumb, reply with the thumb, and begin your ascent immediately. If you simply want to turn the dive and start heading for upline/shore, point your index finger straight up and wave it in a circle. Your buddy should repeat the signal back to you.

Hand signals and replies are great things to go over right before getting in the water. Abort the dive, share air, low on air, turn the dive/head back, and hold are good ones.

 

[Marek K]

Learning from small mistakes is a good thing. Lots of newbies (myself included) forget, and use the 'thumbs up' signal instead of the OK. It takes a conscious effort, and sometimes a reminder just before the dive. After the dive, review the tiny mistakes that were made.

Absolutely. It is real easy to get confused in the beginning, and give "thumbs up" to mean "OK" or, "Wow! That's cool!". I don't know whether there's any acceptable way to "backspace" that; that is, to cancel the signal if you immediately realize you made a mistake, before your buddy starts reacting to what he/she saw as an "ascend" command...

The "thumbs up" signal, more than any other, is a command. Not a suggestion; not a question asking whether your buddy is ready to finish the dive; not an invitation to debate; but a command. Even if you don't understand why your buddy is signalling it, give a thumb back and ascend together. Find out why, safely on the surface.

OOA would normally be signalled by itself... you'd take care of the air sharing, then thumb for ascent. Unless, I suppose, if you were too far away from your buddy and were so bad off that you needed to do a CESA, or worse (emergency buoyant ascent)... though I'm not sure you'd be wasting time signalling at all in that case...

In my PADI class, the correct procedure taught was to indicate LOA (fist to your chest) then the thumbs up- then, you ascend together.

Here I'm not sure I agree... if you're low on air (that is, not needing to share air or go into other emergency procedures yet) and want to surface immediately, there's really no need to signal "low on air" in most situations... just a thumb is sufficient. No debate. Though showing the "low on air" signal or your SPG somewhere along the line then would let your buddy know why...

a command such as [...] "head that way"

I can understand where "head that way" (signalled how? Index finger? Thumb?) would be a command in technical diving. But, face it... in most shallow recreational diving, the dive isn't planned to such a degree that there is never any ambiguity. There may well be a time when you want to "discuss" with your buddy on the spot, which direction he/she wants to go. The standard signal for "which way?" is flipping your thumb from side to side... though I think that could too-easily be mistaken as the ascend command. How do you signal "which way"? And/or how do you suggest you go in a certain direction, not meaning it as a command?

a command [...] needs to be replied to using the same signal to show that you understand and there is no confusion. If someone gives you the thumb, reply with the thumb, and begin your ascent immediately.

Yes. No need for an OK response... because that would imply your buddy could disagree. The thumb response is an acknowledgement that your buddy saw and understood your signal.

--Marek

 

[fpsndiver]

Hand signals and replies are great things to go over right before getting in the water. Abort the dive, share air, low on air, turn the dive/head back, and hold are good ones.

I totally agree here....especially when you are diving with somebody who you have never dove with before...you need to at the very minimum discuss all the above signals. Some others would be how are you going to ask/answer current tank pressure? , shark (hand on head like a fin), lobster (two fingers coming out of forehead), Just kidding about those last two, as they are not critical.

Me and my normal dive buddy can carry on a whole conversation underwater, although a lot of the reason I go diving is so that I don't have to listen to anyone yapping, I realize that I have to see people. Body language, posture, hand signals, eyes, all hold vast amounts of information.

We don't use the thumbs up to end a dive. If one of us is either: cold, reached turn around pressure, or just tired of the dve we do a finger lasso over head in a circle (time to turn dive), and then indicate up with first finger pointed up. Usually my buddy will give me a head nod, although he is supposed to signal ok, then we head back to the anchor line. The key here is you need to develop your underwater communication. There is even a standardized book of hand signals for scuba divers, and I am sure the DIR folks have some bible related to this topic as well. You and your buddies need to find what is easiest and works for you.

Tom

 

[jonnythan]

I can understand where "head that way" (signalled how? Index finger? Thumb?) would be a command in technical diving. But, face it... in most shallow recreational diving, the dive isn't planned to such a degree that there is never any ambiguity. There may well be a time when you want to "discuss" with your buddy on the spot, which direction he/she wants to go. The standard signal for "which way?" is flipping your thumb from side to side... though I think that could too-easily be mistaken as the ascend command. How do you signal "which way"? And/or how do you suggest you go in a certain direction, not meaning it as a command?

I'm no tech diver. It's just as important in rec diving that signals and commands be understood, even "That way." How many times do you think a pair of rec divers have swum apart and gotten separatated because of a miscommunication?

I agree about the thumb thing. When there is a question, use the question symbol (index finger straight in air but curved downward like a hook). I would point in a direction and then symbol question mark.

But if I point in a direction, and my buddy simply says OK, I have no idea whether he understood what I meant, and if I just start swimming in that direction he won't necessarily follow.

 

[Marek K]

When there is a question, use the question symbol (index finger straight in air but curved downward like a hook). I would point in a direction and then symbol question mark.

Yeah, I've come to the conclusion that that's the best way to "discuss" something. Better might be to use the "question" signal first, then the other other one -- so your buddy know that what follows is a question/suggestion. I've agreed to use that with buddies, but haven't had the opportunity to use it yet.

So... in rec diving, under what circumstance would you use "swim that way" as a no-debate command? Maybe if your buddy were, um, directionally-challenged, and you need to signal which way to go? You'd have to be pretty sure you were right, though...

--Marek

 

[TikTok]

Wow, thanks for all your replies.

When there is a question, use the question symbol (index finger straight in air but curved downward like a hook). I would point in a direction and then symbol question mark.

Interesting - the signal we were taught is the "shrug" symbol - both hands to the sides, palms ups. I guess thats just more reason to discuss on the boat before hand, as has been suggested.

 

[Marek K]

just more reason to discuss on the boat before hand, as has been suggested.

Yes. There have been some recent threads about this... what people think are universally-recognized standard signals, aren't. Not by a long shot.

Except maybe the thumb... but that brings us back to your initial post...