How to Communicate Air Level

[String]

The only downside is that it requires two hands.

An alternative would be to point the finger(s) upwards to indicate 10-50 and sidewards to indicate 60-100.

Can use one hand if needed. Only 2 hand signal is 100 bar. Simply use closed fist twice (ie 50 + 50) and its done.

Fingers up/sideways i dont find works as well especially if holding onto something, looking under a overhang or whatever.

Plus i wear 3 finger mitts which limits lots of signalling

 

[do it easy]

Plus i wear 3 finger mitts which limits lots of signalling

I've actually seen a well thought out way to signal the same numbers with 3 finger oven mitts. It involves showing fingers and touching fingers with the thumb. I believe it was one handed as well.

 

[TSandM]

While on Bonaire, we dove a lot with American divers (psi), we're strictly bar though.

We got around this by using "quarts". 750 psi equals 50 bar, so when asked we'd just indicate 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4. Worked like a charm.

I bought a regulator set that had a bar SPG, and I viewed multiplying by 15 as a mental exercise check for narcosis . . .

I don't like the multiple 5's method because it is too easy to miss one of the flashes; I've been on a dive when the leader turned the dive and headed us in early because he misread the signal from one of the other divers. It's possible to miss one of the signals with the one-handed one-through-ten method, too, but more likely, I think, that you'd shake your head and check again if you only got the second half of the signal.

Anyway, the points been made that this is something to go over BEFORE you get in the water.

 

[do it easy]

The other part of communicating the signal is understanding it- if your buddy flashes 1000 psi and you have 2500 psi and you're using similar tanks, then you need to consider if this is part of the gas plan.

 

[Rainer]

I bought a regulator set that had a bar SPG, and I viewed multiplying by 15 as a mental exercise check for narcosis . . .

I don't like the multiple 5's method because it is too easy to miss one of the flashes; I've been on a dive when the leader turned the dive and headed us in early because he misread the signal from one of the other divers. It's possible to miss one of the signals with the one-handed one-through-ten method, too, but more likely, I think, that you'd shake your head and check again if you only got the second half of the signal.

Anyway, the points been made that this is something to go over BEFORE you get in the water.

Missing signs can be a problem with any system. First, if I ever got a sign back from my buddy that was 500 PSI off what I expected, I'd ask for a repeat! Second, one solution is after someone flashes you their pressure, point at them and flash it back. Any miscommunication should be picked up at this point. If it's important enough to check, perhaps it's important enough to confirm. Or as Catherine and many others suggested, just show the gauge.

 

[ClayJar]

Regarding the "flashing fives" method, when you hear the number 31, do you think "three, one" or do you think "five five five five five five one"?

Arabic numerals are place-value based, which means signaling digits maps naturally to our number scheme. One-handed digits are merely a transliteration (i.e. merely a change of the symbols; a different "font", if you will). The flashing fives method is a tally-based method (a "unary numeral system", if you want to drop names), which is obviously not a transliteration.

When you use one-handed digits, there is no counting involved. Conversely, when you use flashing fives, both the signaler and the receiver must count to convert the number to the tally and back.

I'll concede the point that one-handed numbers require *slightly* more thought at the beginning until you've completely internalized them, but once you've got them down, they are *vastly* more natural to "speak" than converting to tally counts and back, as you can plainly see. (You *do* think "three, one", don't you? )

 

[do it easy]

When I think of 32, I think of 2^5

What if you just signal using a larger number base- maybe 500?

 

[ClayJar]

When I think of 32, I think of 2^5

Hehe... I *knew* I should've used a prime number...

Oh, wait...

What if you just signal using a larger number base- maybe 500?

Okay, so how do I signal 4500 for that tank the PSI instructor showed us a sell sheet for? Neither he not any of us have ever seen one, and they probably don't make them anymore (or any less?), but still, it's *technically* a valid question.

Anyway, that doesn't work well for stops, and having a arbitrary bases for pressure, depth, stop time, etc. would be quite... well, fun, actually, but that's beside the point.

As long as all out gauges, timers, computers, and all are made for base 10, it makes sense to signal in base 10, as transliterations require no counting.


(Incidentally, be careful using your five fingers as bits to signal in binary. People tend to get upset around the number four. )

 

[yukoneer]

All this talk... it's quite simple.

If all scuba divers knew how to sign ASL, all of this talk about communication issues goes away.

 

[Rainer]

Why would you EVER need to signal 4500??? Even if you had your cylinders jacked that high, duh, it's the start of the dive, you don't need to worry about the pressure. I've never done a check where I got back more than three flashes. The thing we tried to avoid was flashing 0s (very, very hard to notice, even though in most cases you can tell if you've missed one!). 5s gets around that. We DO use the one handed 1-10 system (first five up, second five to the side) for all other purposes other than pressure. In most cases, flashing 5s is just quicker (one of the few times we check pressure is near the end of the dive, to check if we're ahead of schedule and have a few minutes before RB). In such cases, flashing 700 is faster with 5s than flashing 7-0-0. Also is less ambiguous given that orientation is clearly so important when using the transliteration method. Really, though, just settle on a system that works for your team.

Hehe... I *knew* I should've used a prime number...

Oh, wait...

Okay, so how do I signal 4500 for that tank the PSI instructor showed us a sell sheet for? Neither he not any of us have ever seen one, and they probably don't make them anymore (or any less?), but still, it's *technically* a valid question.

Anyway, that doesn't work well for stops, and having a arbitrary bases for pressure, depth, stop time, etc. would be quite... well, fun, actually, but that's beside the point.

As long as all out gauges, timers, computers, and all are made for base 10, it makes sense to signal in base 10, as transliterations require no counting.