Deco hand signal?

[NothingClever]

What do you use? Pinky or Hawaiian hang loose?

I ask because the other day I went into deco and did a Hawaiian to my instructor. It took him a minute to understand I was doing deco and not trying to tell him that I was really excited (which I was actually, so... I guess 2 birds with a stone?)

Pinky, no thumb and Achim’s pretty buoyancy isn’t going to convince me the Hawaiian shaka is commonly accepted. I’m not surprised your instructor didn’t know what you were talking about, the Hawaiian shaka is for “that hammerhead was really cool”, not “I’ve got a 7 minute obligation at this level”.

Sloppy or unclear hand and arm signals are a pet peeve of mine and are something that should be addressed before splashing. On the dives I like to do, there’s no room for confusion at depth. Crisply rendered hand signals ensure one’s intent and actions are understood and provide an indication that one is still in charge of his own dive (not excessively narcotic) and can be relied on to solve problems rather than produce or complicate them. I’m not a fan of having to pull out my wet book to communicate simple, routine UW actions and, IMO, a deco stop is routine.

Maybe one of these old Hawaiian grandmas can help you out with your hand and arm signal training .

 

[NothingClever]

A signal for deco should be covered, as it does happen. After all, rec agencies do tell people to follow their dive computers advice if they happen to go into deco and to follow the person with the most conservative computer. With the different algorithms out there, knowing what to signal, as one buddy with a less conservative computer may not understand why their buddy isn't ascending.

That said, I wish all agencies would sync up hand signals.

That would require the Council to take on a more prescriptive role, something it seems they’d be challenged to do given the spotty membership of the regional councils.

http://wrstc.com/downloads/12 - Common Hand Signals.pdf

 

[giovyledzep]

Pinky, no thumb and Achim’s pretty buoyancy isn’t going to convince me the Hawaiian shaka is commonly accepted. I’m not surprised your instructor didn’t know what you were talking about, the Hawaiian shaka is for “that hammerhead was really cool”, not “I’ve got a 7 minute obligation at this level”.

Sloppy or unclear hand and arm signals are a pet peeve of mine and are something that should be addressed before splashing. On the dives I like to do, there’s no room for confusion at depth. Crisply rendered hand signals ensure one’s intent and actions are understood and provide a indication that one is still in charge of his own dive (not excessively narcotic) and can be relied on to solve problems rather than produce or complicate them. I’m not a fan of having to pull out my wet book to communicate simple, routine UW actions and, IMO, a deco stop is routine.

Maybe one of these old Hawaiian grandmas can help you out with your hand and arm signal training .

I agree with you on the required clarity of hand signals, but a quick google image search will show both signals next to each other as alternatives, which to me means it is commonly accepted. The fact that someone is taught one over the other does not mean that it is THE only way.

There is a discussion here on Scubaboard with said image Decompression Stop Guidelines - What we have to do if got deco alert?

And here is a book about hand signals with the Hawaiian as cover: Scuba Diving Hand Signals : Lars Behnke : 9781511614719

To me it's a more than clear indication that it's not just a couple of divers using it.

 

[NothingClever]

The first link points to a thread whose legitimacy is immediately called into question because it’s written from a recreational perspective and introduces the problematic outlook of “emergency deco”. That perspective is formed by inadequate recreational training and I don’t think the small entry confers “commonly accepted” amongst technical divers who routinely conduct decompression stops.

The second thread points to a book with the shaka on the cover for recreational diving. Since decompression diving is not a part of the recreational curriculum, how does putting it on the cover establish it as a hand signal for decompression? From what I can tell, it’s merely an attractive bit of cover art to attract readers.

We’re stretching here.

 

[NothingClever]

40 votes for pinky.

1 vote for shaka.

Next.

 

[Storker]

There's a problem with both the pinky and the shaka if you use wet mitts or 3-fingers.

Which is the reason I use "level out", then "hold", then the number of minutes when I'm signalling the stop. As a bonus, that's usually well understood by divers with no deco training.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

Clear, simple, previously agreed signals are the key. My personal preference is:

1 Flat hand looping up + digits = next stop depth
2 Flat hand 'level out' + digits = hold stop for Xmin
3 Repeat above for all subsequent stops

I may use pinky for TTS, but not often as any deco should be previously planned. Really only to keep track of buddy if their schedule differs.

 

[taimen]

It has been a point of confusion for me for many years; why the diving agencies do not adapt the standard hand signs for the deaf. I've seen divers post dive signing to each other and thinking they can have entire conversations during a dive!
Why reinvent the wheel? It's already available, or least take what we need from it.

Sign languages used by deaf people are not standard at all. There are many different sign languages and they are mostly mutually unintelligible.

As divers, we have to use what works. Many of the complex "standard hand signals" are not useful when wearing very thick gloves.

 

[The Chairman]

It's OK to adapt. However, with so many of us teaching and using "Y", the Shaka or Hawaiian, to indicate "Cool stuff", using it also for deco is problematic. The "I", the pinky, is the only acceptable signal for a safety stop or deco. I've only been diving for 50 years and I've never had anyone use the "Y" to indicate deco. I hope the trend continues.

 

[Storker]

Clear, simple, previously agreed signals are the key
[...]
Many of the complex "standard hand signals" are not useful when wearing very thick gloves.

Quoted for posterity.

And it might pay off to be aware that some hand signals are modified according to local conditions. Like, here in cold water country where a lot of folks wear 3-finger wetgloves, "five" usually isn't a splayed palm, it's a fist, palm side towards your buddy.