Hand signals?

[sharky60]

Hola all, one thing I noticed on this past trip is the amount of people, clients and DM's alike who don't use hand signals to ID sea life during a dive.

The majority of people we dove with would find something and just point...and point...and point, usually not even very well at that.

It makes it much easier for someone to find what you are pointing when you let them know WHAT it is.

I try my best to let someone know what I've found when I show it to them.

Not just pointing at the reef, but indicating to look under something, or 'in' a hole for a critter, a fin (like a karate chop) on the forehead for a shark, your fingers splayed out under your chin for a splendid toadfish, mimic riding a horse for a sea horse, make your fingers of one hand splay out from the other hand making a circle for Christmas trees, feather dusters and tube fans, rub your tummy for grouper, little pinchers for coral banded shrimp, big pinchers for king crabs, a peace sign wiggling your fingers (usually on your forehead) for lobster, your fingers together in a loose prayer position for a lionfish...etc.

...something to consider on your next dive...

 

[Zman96]

I love the random pointing divers. Especially pointing down the wall into the abyss.

 

[Skittl1321]

My buddy uses a machine gun motion to identify lionfish.

Our DM used a lot of hand signals for animals, but many of them we didn't know what she was doing until we figured out where we were looking, and then we learned the sign. I went into this only knowing shark and turtle.

 

[mstevens]

A frame of the fingers for boxfish, drumming motions for drum. I've never figured out anything good for little blennies or nudibranchs.

We tend to use the same signals as our DM friend, who has a zillion of them.

I've considered an underwater laser pointer to circle small stuff, but concluded that was silly.

 

[robint]

makes me crazy when someone shakes their shaker or bangs on their tank... then points. UGGGHHHH. WTF are you pointing at? Why should I swim all the way over there if I don't know what for? BIG Pet Peeve for me. Last trip I had someone do it over and over, only to find it was a friggin' arrow crab or something that is so common I could stop at any point during a dive and see one. Really. Annoying as heck.
Bang, bang, bang.... point..... a shark
Bang, bang, bang.... point.....an arrow crab

Dude... please learn the hand signals!!!

grrr.

 

[cvchief]

We always use the lion's paw, pawing the air for lion fish. Oh and one finger through the ok symbol for jAwfish.

 

[cmulvaney]

My dive buddies and I find it easier to use only one hand to sign so it leaves the other free to point, check spg, hold speargun, etc.
Instead of two hands clasped and fingers spread for lionfish we use a forefinger and thumb making an L for loser, I mean lionfish. A shaka for turtle. We just condense two handed signals into one. I like this better.

Sent from my LT26w using Tapatalk

 

[Mahidoodi]

 

[Mossman]

A frame of the fingers for boxfish, drumming motions for drum. I've never figured out anything good for little blennies or nudibranchs.

Holding thumb and forefinger slightly apart to indicate something tiny should do the trick.

---------- Post added May 29th, 2014 at 05:17 PM ----------

Not just pointing at the reef, but indicating to look under something, or 'in' a hole for a critter, a fin (like a karate chop) on the forehead for a shark, your fingers splayed out under your chin for a splendid toadfish, mimic riding a horse for a sea horse, make your fingers of one hand splay out from the other hand making a circle for Christmas trees, feather dusters and tube fans, rub your tummy for grouper, little pinchers for coral banded shrimp, big pinchers for king crabs, a peace sign wiggling your fingers (usually on your forehead) for lobster, your fingers together in a loose prayer position for a lionfish...etc.

I find it easier to know your DM and fellow divers and have them know you. When Jeremy points out something to me, for instance, I know it's going to be worthwhile or else he wouldn't have pointed it out. Likewise, any fellow diver who makes a big deal out of nothing gets ignored for the rest of the dive.

 

[Prop Joe]

There was a Brokeback Mountain signal when the movie 1st came out. I couldn't figure it out and had to ask...:confused6: