How do you communicate pressure?

[Teamcasa]

Diving with my lovely bride, I just look at her gauge or she peeks at mine. Sometimes we indicate ½ tank or turn time by showing a hand vertically splitting the secondary regulator. Think how you would schuss a child with one finger across your lips but use all fingers across your reg. Anything below a 1000 psi is simply indicated by one finger per psi.

Diving with others, any way they are comfortable with.

 

[John_B]

The question might be; if I flashed a single digit (1) and a two handed 7 would you not want to understand 1700?

You crack me up!

You don't think that you might be misinterpreting "how I prefer to communicate underwater" with "what I understand underwater"?

If we're doing a drift dive and you are towing the float, don't you think it'd be a really good idea if you could signal 1700 psi with one hand?

 

[diver 85]

The above sounds a complete nightmare when wearing 3 finger mitts or when narked.

How bout if you're a double amputeed diabetic with no legs or arms..........(some things you have to assume ie no stupid yankee gloves)........


also..........., think of the nightmare situation a bilateral enucleated person would be in UW.......

 

[ronbeau]

How do you communicate your pressure numbers to your buddy underwater?

I have seen two different methods.

The one I was taught and is used by our dive group is as follows:

Over 999 PSI

The thousands are indicated with one, two or three fingers on the placed up against the left forearm.

Then the hundreds position is displayed using the 5 fingers on the right hand.

For example

2500 PSI

Two fingers from right hand against the left forearm
Then five fingers with the right hand by itself.

2900 PSI

Two fingers from right hand against the left forearm
Then five fingers with the right hand by itself for two or three seconds.
Then four fingers with the right hand by itself for two or three seconds.

In other words, two thousand + 500 + 400 = 2900

The other method I have seen used is to simply flash the right hand for the hundreds of PSI

2900 PSI

Flash 5 fingers, 5 times followed by 4 fingers.

I think the first method is simpler and requires less addition than the second method.

 

[RonFrank]

I generally don't. If asked, I just respond OK. If they want to come over and look at my pressure gauge, that is OK with me.

I understand this is valuable for newer divers, but IMO the diver is responsible for his diving. I don't ask for anyones pressure, unless I know they are new, and may need some babysitting.

Others have responded with the popular method for expressing pressure, so I won't bother. However I generally just go look if I want to know, because so many folks do things differently.

If this is something one feels the need to communicate during the dive, it's best to discuss this before the dive.

 

[almitywife]

my fills usually start with 230bar

i tell hubby (my usual buddy who dives a rebreather so his dive time is hours) at 150bar and then at 100bar so just tapping him on the shoulder usually tells him how much air i have

when diving with others i talk to my buddy before the dive so we both understand what signal is 150 and the standard "T" for 100 bar

cheers

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

You crack me up!

You don't think that you might be misinterpreting "how I prefer to communicate underwater" with "what I understand underwater"?

If we're doing a drift dive and you are towing the float, don't you think it'd be a really good idea if you could signal 1700 psi with one hand?

Guiding drift dives here, my SMB usually does not go up until the first diver is close to ascent pressure. The boat captain's job (or bubble watcher for more than 6-pac boats) is to keep the bubbles in sight. Either way, my reel is clipped to my left chest D-ring so both hands are free most of the time. Also, when I have the SMB nobody cares what my pressure is.

 

[=C=]

... across your reg. Anything below a 1000 psi is simply indicated by one finger per psi.

900 is alot of fingers

 

[John_B]

Guiding drift dives here, my SMB usually does not go up until the first diver is close to ascent pressure. The boat captain's job (or bubble watcher for more than 6-pac boats) is to keep the bubbles in sight. Either way, my reel is clipped to my left chest D-ring so both hands are free most of the time. Also, when I have the SMB nobody cares what my pressure is.

Fair enough. My drift dives are in So. Fla. and state law requires us to dive with a suitable dive float for each team. So no choices for when to shoot an SMB or to only have a bubble watcher on the boat. They do write real tickets for violations, OBTW, not that you'd want to be without a float around Ft. Lauderdale. In those circumstances, I think you'd find that one handed communication is not just a huge plus, its a required skill.

 

[mpgunner]

The bottom line is to make sure you buddy "speaks" the same language. I'm diving tomorrow with a new guy but this is a good reminder to be in sync with preasure numbers before we go in (short of looking at his gauge).