Proposing a New Hand Signal

[MikeFerrara]

You want hand signals to be one handed for simplicity. For instance when you're diving in the dark you need to shine your light on the hand giving the signal if any one is going to see it. In lots of situations you just can't count on having both hands free.


We use a turn signal that's just a twirly with the index finger. It means lets head back but there's no hurry about it as apposed to a thums up which means lets go directly back (or maybe up in OW) because some limit has been reached or there's a problem (an end to the dive).

 

[Charlie99]

I either use "palm down shopping upwards and forward" or "palm down, 45 dgr angle, and move it in the direction of travel"...both these seem to be intuitive because insta-buddies understand them without a prior briefing...

A fairly well understood hand signal is "level off" --- horizontal palm down moved back and forth a bit horizontally.

I just extend that signal by giving "level off", then moving my hand up a few inches and giving another "level off", then a third time a few inches above that.

Most insta-buddies intuitively grasp that I'm signalling my intent to ascend with a series of movements upward and then swimming around for a while at each shallower depth.

 

[Thalassamania]

I find no urgency to a thumbs up. Urgency is conveyed by jerking the thumbs up gesture in an upwards direction. The intensity of the jerk is proportional to the urgency of the need<G>.

 

[M.D.]

I think a thumb up with a side-to-side motion (sort of like the 'something's wrong' signal) would work the same.

 

[Walter]

When I've used that signal before, people look at me goofy...

No offense, but maybe there's a reason for that. Seriously, if you have signals that are not universal or very easy to figure out, discuss them at the surface before the dive. Don't be afraid to talk. I talk to my buddies all the time. Just Saturday, my buddies commented on how easy it was to understand what I was saying.

My buddy and I use the old "thumb up" followed immediately by a "level off" signal. It works for us.

I've done that for as long as I've been diving. I thought it was universal until some folks on this board recently declared they'd ignore anything after the thumbs up as that was the "abort the dive" sign, an attitude I find silly.

And the thumbs up tends to imply a bit of urgency

Not in most circles.

Urgency is conveyed by jerking the thumbs up gesture in an upwards direction. The intensity of the jerk is proportional to the urgency of the need<G>.

Especially if repeated.

 

[mccabejc]

No offense, but maybe there's a reason for that. Seriously, if you have signals that are not universal or very easy to figure out....

Looks like at least a couple of folks who've responded think it's pretty intuitive and use something similar. Seems about intuitive as you can get to me. But I agree that using two hands may not always be the best.

Not in most circles. ....

Hmmm....looks like there isn't general agreement here on how much urgency is associated with a "thumbs up". In any case, can we at least agree that "thumbs up" isn't generally understood as a sloping dive profile?

 

[Walter]

Thumbs up means "ascend." I'd likely give a thumbs up, followed by moving my open palm (palm down) away from my body at an upward angle.

 

[Thalassamania]

I'd look at you goofy also, but that's the opinion of an "intense jerk."<G>

Here's a story I posted a while back about hand signal confusion: link

 

[Charlie99]

http://www.wrstc.com/downloads/CommonHandSignalsforScubaDiving.pdf is a 16 page pdf with a good summary of common hand signals from the industry organization, Recreational Scuba Training Council, which includes PADI, SSI, SDI, PDIC, and YMCA.

You can communicate a lot using combinations of just those common signals --- such as "ascend", followed by "level off" to approximate the intentions of the orignal poster to gradually go shallow.

When all else fails, there are always slates and wetnotes.

 

[ReefHound]

Here are a few of my thoughts, not that they mean anything after the Thousand Plus guys have spoken.

Any non-universal signals you may use should be discussed before the dive.

For a non-critical situation that occurs rarely, just use a slate or wet notes.

I think too many divers don't adequately know even the critical hand signals. I wouldn't create a custom signal with a buddy that might fall into that category. I've seen in my short amount of diving that signal miscommunication is very common, at least in my experience level (+- 100 dives). Anything involving UP especially.

You guys with 500 or 1000 logged dives can learn sign language if you want but newer divers might be better off sticking to the basics.