Scuba Diving Signals

[ScubaDiverRyan]

1 OK
2 Stop
3 Slow down, move hand slowly down and up a few times.
4 Stay at this depth. Move hand left to right and back
5 Up
6 Down
7 Stay Together
8 Move Apart
9 You lead i'll follow
10 Where is youe Buddy?
11 I don't know.
12 You
13 Me
14 Come here
15 Not OK, something is wrong.

To see all the signals go to http://www.thescubasite.com/Learn-To-Scuba-Dive/scuba-diving-hand-signals

 

[Jax]

Hey, Ryan, :wavey: this is nice info . . . . Perhaps you might want to ask a mod to move it to Basic Scuba Discussions - ScubaBoard, where it is more on topic. Would you like me to find one for you?

Check out this fourm: New Divers and Those Considering Diving - ScubaBoard

If you notice, there are threads that are 'stuck' to the top. One of them is http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ng/287780-how-find-excellent-scuba-class.html . I hope you have lots of fun doing your research, and just chatting with new acquaintances . . . I hope you have lots of fun doing your research, and just chatting with new acquaintances . . .

 

[Jax]

There's only two mods logged on right now, and both are decisively engaged!


Let's party!! arty:

 

[Kosuki]

Engaged hu... like pg fun professional fun rated r fun? God post btw

 

[Jax]

:ssst: Most of these people don't speak text, btw. You might want to spell out for us ol' fuddie duddies.

signed - women with a teenager who speeks text.

 

[Jax]

Hey, I sent a note to our Diver0001, who's a great guy. He'll move this to the best forum!

I hope you learn to love this 'place' as much as I have. The Newcomers and Basic forums have great topics, and you can lurk on the advanced and tec forums and learn loads and loads.

Welcome!

 

[elmer fudd]

Anybody know anything about SeaSigns? I'd like to learn more sign language and want to avoid just making stuff up. That works great if your regular buddy and you work out the signs, but nonstandard signs don't help you communicate with other divers.

 

[kanonfodr]

I know that SeaSigns is based upon American Sign Language, but it may or may not be universal depending upon your diving locale. For more involved communication I ultimately prefer wetnotes or a slate for discussion underwater. Hand signs can convey a lot of meanings but it does no good if every member of the team does not understand the signs. Every diver I have run across thus far can read and write.

A good site on scuba sign language is Deep-Sea Sherpa scuba signs . It is authored by a well-respected member of this forum who is an instructor. Food for thought.

Peace,
Greg

 

[elmer fudd]

Thanks for the link. I know most of those, but there are a few new ones there for me.

I'm sure most divers would never take the trouble to learn sign language, but I'm guessing that if there were a widely used and accepted group of 200 or so signs out there that most of the serious divers would eventually learn them.

I'm very doubtful that SeaSigns will ever take off, since they seem to treat it like a marketable commodity. Something like that needs to gather critical mass before people really take it seriously. If all the signs and materials were freely available online, then it might take off, but who wants to pay for something that hardly anyone else knows?

 

[hudson]

A few comments regarding the link in the OP:

*Up and Down are really Terminate dive and Begin dive. See the "Depth and Time related Signals" section for Up and Down that would work as intended, or see below:

*The reverse motion of "slow down" would be "pick it up". But the Scuba Sherpa site above, for example, identifies those as up and down. It's all in how you use them - if you add a slight diagonal movement, do not repeat the motion, perform it slowly and use only one hand, your buddy will probably interpret it as a depth change. Repeated and faster movement with both hands would mean speed up and slow down, but I had "speed up" confused with a depth change signal regardless..It's best to clarify these signals with every new buddy you dive with.

*Stay together/Move apart/Where is your buddy signals - you have to make those work by using them in context, they are not that clear/universal. They could refer to position in the water column, buddying up, referring to buddy pairs etc.

*The "50 bar" signal is the "hold/stop" signal around here.

*As these seem to be European signals, it's worth nothing there is an "end dive" signal (forearms crossed in front of you) in use that could be confused with the I'm cold signal.