Bubbletrubble
Contributor
@sambolino44: I agree. It can be difficult to communicate signals that require 2 hands at night. Any signal that entails putting a hand on/near one's face is a bit problematic, too, since you don't want to blind yourself while you illuminate your hand.
I've fallen into the bad habit of not asking my buddy "What's your air?" We have almost a couple hundred dives together, though, so I know that I'll have 200-300 psi more air halfway into the dive. If I want to check on her air for some reason, I'll just position myself so that I can see her SPG. That way we don't have to waste time signing numbers back and forth. Everyone I dive with is responsible for monitoring his/her own air. If someone reaches the agreed upon turn pressure, then he/she gives the "turn around" signal. No number signing is needed.
I have a pistol-grip light, so 2-hand signals are very difficult to do. I avoid them when I can. When I'm forced to give a 2-hand signal, I get my buddy's attention first, point the light down in front of me, tuck the light under my chin, and then make the 2-hand signal. It's an under water version of shadow puppets.
It ain't pretty, but it works.
The hand signals that we use on every night dive are "turn around" and "surface." "Turn around" is an easy and unique one-hand gesture. Index finger points vertically while rotating hand in a circular motion. "Surface" is just the thumb.
For identifying aquatic critters, we have our own special one-hand signals for local nudibranchs, mantis shrimp, etc. Many times it's too much trouble to have an under water discussion about it. We just take a picture and move on. While we're loading gear back into the car, we discuss what we saw and share the pictures.
The only time I've ever been tempted to use the "buddy up" signal on a night dive was when a newbie diver we didn't know attempted to join our group. He was a very good buddy who stayed right next to me as I lined up several shots of some sarcastic fringeheads. After a couple of minutes, I looked at him and extended a hand, as if to shake hands and say: "Hi. We don't know each other. Nice to meet you." His eyes got a little bigger when he realized his mistake. He swam off in a hurry. No harm done.
Night dives are my favorite. More stuff seems to come out then.
We've worked out a better signal indicating "Look." It's done exclusively with light signals and it works great for macro life. First, you get your buddy's attention by moving the light back-and-forth (sign for "attention"). Once you have your buddy's attention, she moves closer to you along with her light. You slowly draw a line with your light from hers to the object of interest. Then, you slowly draw a small circle around the object of interest. She acknowledges that she sees the object by drawing her own circle around the object. It works great. I'm sensitive to the fact that the object does have to be "special" or rare in some way to warrant a: "Hey, look at this." It can be annoying if your buddy is constantly getting your attention to show you run-of-the-mill stuff during a dive. "Oh, great, another blue-banded goby."
I've fallen into the bad habit of not asking my buddy "What's your air?" We have almost a couple hundred dives together, though, so I know that I'll have 200-300 psi more air halfway into the dive. If I want to check on her air for some reason, I'll just position myself so that I can see her SPG. That way we don't have to waste time signing numbers back and forth. Everyone I dive with is responsible for monitoring his/her own air. If someone reaches the agreed upon turn pressure, then he/she gives the "turn around" signal. No number signing is needed.
I have a pistol-grip light, so 2-hand signals are very difficult to do. I avoid them when I can. When I'm forced to give a 2-hand signal, I get my buddy's attention first, point the light down in front of me, tuck the light under my chin, and then make the 2-hand signal. It's an under water version of shadow puppets.
It ain't pretty, but it works.The hand signals that we use on every night dive are "turn around" and "surface." "Turn around" is an easy and unique one-hand gesture. Index finger points vertically while rotating hand in a circular motion. "Surface" is just the thumb.
For identifying aquatic critters, we have our own special one-hand signals for local nudibranchs, mantis shrimp, etc. Many times it's too much trouble to have an under water discussion about it. We just take a picture and move on. While we're loading gear back into the car, we discuss what we saw and share the pictures.
The only time I've ever been tempted to use the "buddy up" signal on a night dive was when a newbie diver we didn't know attempted to join our group. He was a very good buddy who stayed right next to me as I lined up several shots of some sarcastic fringeheads. After a couple of minutes, I looked at him and extended a hand, as if to shake hands and say: "Hi. We don't know each other. Nice to meet you." His eyes got a little bigger when he realized his mistake. He swam off in a hurry. No harm done.
Night dives are my favorite. More stuff seems to come out then.
