xiSkiGuy
Contributor
Walter:It does not mean abort the dive, it means ascend. If I repeat it rapidly, I'm being adamant about it and it means the dive is over.
So we've got the "rapid, adamant" thumb and the "raised eyebrow" thumb. Clear as mud.Walter:Often the thumbs up is a question. You're swimming around with your buddy, you both have plenty of air, but you're not exactly thrilled with the dive, so you ask your buddy if he wants to ascend by simply casually giving the thumbs up while inclining your head and lifting your eyebrows. Raised eyebrows and an inclined head turns any sign into a question.
In my world you just aborted a dive, felt the need to tell me why, and began a deep or safety stop.Walter:If I point to my ear, then hold my spread hand out palm down and wiggle it side to side, I've told you I'm having problems equalizing the pressure in my ear(s). If I then signal a thumbs up, followed by a open hand palm down moving horizontally back and forth, it should be obvious that I intend to ascend and stop at a shallower depth to work on equalization.
Just because the thumb has only one meaning to several of us, doesn't mean we all communicate in an overly simplistic manner. We can string together signals, too.
Walter, I agree with do it easy that if we were to dive together we would get it figured out pretty easily. That's what the pre-dive discussion is for: To sort out some regional, training, or dive clique differences.