Insane hand signals Thumbs Up = Bad

[doghouse]

[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]

I don't know the number of times I had to wave off the thumbs up signal immediately after giving it because I should have given the OK (thumb and forefinger) signal. :light:

I am going over everything for my check out dives and that is the one thing that I keep messing up. I doubt that I would be failed for that, but it would make me a very poor dive buddy if I could not get the communication signals straight. Maybe I should build an arm slate. GRRRRRR.

 

[Code Monkey]

It's a bummer, I agree, but you do, eventually, get used to it. Also, most dive buddys will look at context (facial expression) and re-confirm, "are you _sure_ you want to go up?" when they see somebody use the thumb's up. So, it's really not as bad as all that.

 

[RICHinNC]

Know what you mean. I use the thumbs up daily in my work and have for over 40 years so it is kind of ingrained. Therefore, whenever I dive with someone new I always make sure they know that at times I WILL revert back to the thumbs up to let them know I am ok....but I also show them how I use the thumbs up to indicate I need to head to the surface. Not a biggie.

 

[Footslogger]

My wife and I recently took an adult ed course in "Sign Language" with the expressed intention of being able to communicate while we're underwater. Gonna be MUCH easier to have a discussion or exchange ideas underwater.

 

[El Orans]

No worries, you'll learn.

My wife and I recently took an adult ed course in "Sign Language" with the expressed intention of being able to communicate while we're underwater.

I'll stick to wetnotes, thank you very much.

 

[Walter]

First, thumbs up does not mean bad. It means ascend. It does not mean anything else in diving. It does not mean end the dive, it does not mean surface. It means ascend. That ascent can be all the way to the surface (usually) or it can mean to ascend a few feet. It is merely one word you can use in a sentence while using signals.

Given time and lots of diving, you'll stop using the thumbs up incorrectly while diving and will likely stop using it in non diving situations as well. As a bit of trivia, some historians believe Hollywood got it wrong, that the thumbs up signal actually meant to kill the opponent and that thumbs down indicated life in the games of ancient Rome.

 

[Walter]

No worries, you'll learn.

I'll stick to wetnotes, thank you very much.

Sign language is much faster.

 

[robertarak]

My wife and I recently took an adult ed course in "Sign Language" with the expressed intention of being able to communicate while we're underwater. Gonna be MUCH easier to have a discussion or exchange ideas underwater.

I thought the purpose of diving was to not HAVE TO communicate with your wife!

 

[El Orans]

Sign language is much faster.

Certainly, but I haven't encountered the situation yet that couldn't be solved with the regular signs.

If I want to discuss something, I'll do it on the surface after the dive.

I thought the purpose of diving was to not HAVE TO communicate with your wife!

Yep.

 

[HowardE]

Thumbs up is also a poor choice of signals when the musicians on stage are communicating with the monitor engineer. Thumbs up means - "Make it louder" - I always briefed the musicians to remember this important lesson. It's not too hard to remember the "OK" signal instead of thumbs up (like the Fonz)