Insane hand signals Thumbs Up = Bad

[Thalassamania]

Any way since no other documents are avaliable other that dim memories, history will record his efforts as being the father of UW signaling system.

I was wondering if Bob, or another of the Sabers was thinking about it that early and brought it to Scripps?

However, it is of no importance for the posters of this board who have little knowledge of diving history and apparently rewrite it or attempt to rewrite it at every opportunity.

It is important to me, and I post here.

Who is Jim.

James Stewart, he was senior to me so I never thought of him as “Jimmie.”

 

[Sam Miller III]

I have reviewed Scripps Institution of oceanography by Elizabeth Noble Shor, 1978, and I have attemped to locate the California Unversity Dving manual published in 1960s but so far it eludes me, it is some where in the files.

I know nothing other what was published in nationally distributed magazines,Water world and Discover Diving and the only remaining on the Sea Sabre Underwater Signaling system brochure published in 1954.

Logic would indicate if there was two systems one was contained and remained in the university system and the other was in the civilian diving community. At that juncture in diving history the two seldom innerfaced. Scripps in SD was light years away from LA county in travel or communications---recall no freeway -from LA to SD was a 4-5 hour stop and go event throug city streets, there was no E mail, only snail mail, in effect no communications

I have exhausted my references and remain firm that the first published universal signaling system was the one created so many decades ago in 1954 by Bob Retherford called the "Sea sabre signaling system."

I will pass it back to you and allow you to review your references for verification of your claim. I frankly just do not have time remaining in my life to be concerned about who was on first..

Jim and I are a year or two ( depending on the month) apart in age-we often dove and socialized. With me he used the familar Sammy & I used Jimmy in addressing each other.

I often recall how the SD divers referred to the OC/AL divers as "Yankees." The famous quote of Jack Prodanovich when Wally Potts sold a Bottom Scratcher gun to Paul Hoss of the LA Dolphins "Sell a Bottom Scratcher to those Yankees? like selling guns to the enemy" or words to that effect..(FYI Wally is gone, Paut was OK as of 2-3 years ago, Jack is still kicking at 90+)

It was certainly a different diving world five decades ago,

Cheers from a early morning Cen Cal & California where it all began
and where there are a few remaining originals...

SDM

 

[Walter]

Sam, I appreciate your input. Please continue to contribute. You're insights and memories are a treasure.

 

[SparticleBrane]

I'm going to agree with Perrone on this one. The thumb goes out, the dive is over, end of discussion, no questions asked.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Walter--Sam, I appreciate your input. Please continue to contribute. You're insights and memories are a treasure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walter,

Thank you for the kind words!

There are only a few who I consider have the back ground in diving to comprehend even a small portion of my posts. At this point in my life I simply do not have time to educate the masses in dive history and dive lore.

I will continue posting on occasion.

Thanks again,

Cheers from California --- where it all began

SDM

 

[wardric]

Sign language is much faster.

I agree, I know a tiny bit of it. But with three fingered mitts, it's a bit harder to use

 

[in_cavediver]

I'm going to agree with Perrone on this one. The thumb goes out, the dive is over, end of discussion, no questions asked.

Actually, I agree with neither. Its all about context. In a cave, the thumb means its time to end the dive. It may take many *hours* to do that, but its time to turn around and start exitting the way you came in. Simple ascend doesn't work here because is some cases you actually descend to make your way out. The meaning though is clear in this case. (otherwise you hit your head)

In OW, I think of the thumb as ascend or surface. There are other signals for turning around etc. For deco stops, I do the thumb into my palm. IE, ascend to the next stop. At the end of our deco, I use the simply thumb to surface.

The real key here is that there are multiple ways signals can be used and communication/signals are an important part to every dive plan. Definitely something to discuss with new buddies.

 

[diverdown247]

[Rant]
Who was the moron who deiced that the thumbs up signal, which is given as an all good signal for almost everything else, is a bad signal in diving?

I keep giving the thumbs up signal instead of the OK signal as it is my instinctive response to is everything good. This is totally messing with me!
[/Rant]
.

Obviously someone who has never had any psychology classes. Not all visual communication is universal around the world....accept expressions of anger.

Rather than complaining about the issue, how about presenting us with a viable issue to the problem that so many of us have experienced? I suppose the hand signal for "boat" is confusing as well...???

 

[doghouse]

Obviously someone who has never had any psychology classes. Not all visual communication is universal around the world....accept expressions of anger.

Rather than complaining about the issue, how about presenting us with a viable issue to the problem that so many of us have experienced? I suppose the hand signal for "boat" is confusing as well...???

Nope, no confusion there. Just the one thumbs up signal. The rest are completely understandable.