Scuba Diving Hand Signals

[IDC Koh Tao Thailand]

Scuba Diving Hand Signals commonly used while diving:


These Diving Hand Signals are used the most by PADI Divemasters or Diving Instructors to teach there diving students. PADI Platinum Course Director Marcel van den Berg will show you the most common ones used in the PADI IDC, Divemaster and recreational diving courses.

If you want to be a good or even the best PADI Diving Instructor or Divemaster then you need to give good and strong hand signals under the water to communicate clearly with your diving students.

Differences between good and bad hand signals as a dive professional:

Bad diving hand signals:

-Weak/soft hand signals (fun divers and students don't take these signals seriously)
-Too strong/aggressive hand signals (can scare the fun diver or student, diving is supposed to be fun)

Good diving hand signals:

-Right in between a strong and weak hand signal like shown in this YouTube video
-Long enough to be seen
-Friendly diving hand signals

These dive signals YouTube video can also be used for recreational divers.

What is very important to understand is that there are no standards on how a scuba diving signals has to be given. That is the reason why you sometimes see slightly different diving signals depending on location and Divemaster, PADI Instructor or another Fun Diver. A small difference in a signal for example "more distance in between divers" might not be that bad, but if a buddy team uses very different signals for air/gas consumption that can be dangerous. In other words, it is very important to always go over the hand signals used on that dive before the dive. Especially with new people or diving students.

If you are taking your PADI Divemaster or PADI IDC course then it's important to have realistic hand signals, especially on the PADI IE when PADI Staff will evaluate you. Again you can have slightly different signals, but it has to come close to what it means. Like for example PADI Staff or Examiners won't like it if you start flapping your hands like a bird to introduce that you have 70 bar air/gas left. But they do accept different signals for 70 bar as long as they are serious and commonly used.

We know that giving underwater diving hand signals the correct way is so very important for control, we at Sairee Cottage Diving 5 Star IDC Centre on Koh Tao, Thailand give an extra signal workshop during the PADI Divemaster and IDC course.

I wish you all the best of success in your Diving Adventures!

Marcel van den Berg

PADI Platinum Course Director
Sairee Cottage Diving
Koh Tao, Thailand

 

[MaxBottomtime]

 

[TMHeimer]

Agree on all points. I review the old chart above now and again though I mostly dive solo. In thinking back, I don't recall any of the dozen or so instructors I assisted going over what their specific signals meant regarding what I was supposed to do next. Maybe some figured their signals were obvious. Not sure what signals to ask about when your not sure what the instructor may want you to do once under water.
I recall when taking AOW my instructor wanted me to do something on the Nav dive (something to do with measuring kick cycles). He kept signaling something and I kept "asking" what that meant. This sort of instruction isn't included on the chart above because it can't be.Thus came into use the slate.

 

[tursiops]

Agree on all points. I review the old chart above now and again though I mostly dive solo. In thinking back, I don't recall any of the dozen or so instructors I assisted going over what their specific signals meant regarding what I was supposed to do next. Maybe some figured their signals were obvious. Not sure what signals to ask about when your not sure what the instructor may want you to do once under water.
I recall when taking AOW my instructor wanted me to do something on the Nav dive (something to do with measuring kick cycles). He kept signaling something and I kept "asking" what that meant. This sort of instruction isn't included on the chart above because it can't be.Thus came into use the slate.

Maybe you should look more closely at the chart above!

 

[TMHeimer]

Maybe you should look more closely at the chart above!

Yeah... I didn't look at the words below the pics....So THAT'S what he meant.
Did you ever notice on those cop shows that when securing a house, one detective holds out 2 fingers and points, the other 3 know EXACTLY where to go?

 

[nolatom]

To new divers (from a non-instructor weekend average diver): Most of the signals you see in the first video are, obviously, for teaching, when there's a large group of you and one instructor. So a lot of them are school-oriented, traffic-control measures to a group, or "calm down" signals to an individual.

So don't worry about learning every one of them, the basic signals for you and a buddy, are much less numerous, for example--up, down, level off, okay?, not okay, how much air left?, low on air (this one is important, don't be afraid to use it well in advance of "no air").

Bring a slate, and don't be shy about using it. It's worked for me when signals didn't quite work for whatever reason,


And to MaxBottomtime: that was freakin' hilarious ;-). To new divers: beyond the humor, those are all real signals, if you know them, you're in pretty good shape.

 

[BlueTrin]

Yeah... I didn't look at the words below the pics....So THAT'S what he meant.
Did you ever notice on those cop shows that when securing a house, one detective holds out 2 fingers and points, the other 3 know EXACTLY where to go?

I read your previous reply two or three times to make sure I didn’t miss any sarcasm lol !

 

[TMHeimer]

You're lol....? I'M not even sure what my sarcasm may be here.....

 

[Bob DBF]

Did you ever notice on those cop shows that when securing a house, one detective holds out 2 fingers and points, the other 3 know EXACTLY where to

That's because they read the script, any hand signals could be used.



Bob

 

[aquacat8]

When I was a new diver I had one of those big etch a sketch like slates. It was fun, but too big to keep carrying around. Very dorky, but nice when needed!