Standardized hand signals for numbers?

[Greendiver]

Yea, I know, one finger for 1, two for 2, etc.

My buddy and I were diving with another and in signaling our air supply remaining using our standard method such as 1250psi=one, two, fist, fist. Seems to work ok for us. When communicating with our new buddy, he was using something totally different as in multiples of 5, like 5, 5, 5=1500psi.

Is there a "standard" method or if not, what seems to work for you and your buddies?

 

[The Kraken]

1 through 5 - hold that many digits with the fingers pointing upwards.

6 through 9 - extend 5 + digits horizontally - that is, for the number 9, take the 4 fingers you would use to signify 4 but hold them horizontally.

So if you wanted to signify the number 90, hold 4 fingers horizontally and then give a zero signal.

Seventy seven would be indicated by flashing two horizontal fingers and then an additional 2 horizontal fingers.

This is done with the right hand, therefore only one hand is required to give a numeric response or indicator.
I think cave divers use something like this. You may want to search the cave diving forum.

the K

 

[H2Andy]

indeed K, you've got it

one through five, just use your fingers pointed up

six is one finger pointed sideways

seven is two fingers pointed sideways

and so on

ten is one finger up followed by a zero formed with the all fingers

fifty is five fingers up followed by a zero

seventy is two fingers sideways followed by a zero

 

[snowflake4727]

I have also used fingers layed across the forearm to indicate thousands, and fingers held up to indicate hundreds. The key is to establish the hand signals before the dive. I think what most people use is regional, kinda like accents.

 

[RJP]

I think cave divers use something like this. You may want to search the cave diving forum.

the K

Yup...

 

[RJP]

I have also used fingers layed across the forearm to indicate thousands, and fingers held up to indicate hundreds.

Hard to see when wearing black gloves and black wet/dry suit.

 

[Greendiver]

Well then, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for the fast responses!

 

[The Kraken]

I truly wish we could use ScubaBoard as a platform to standardize this throughout the diving world.

Let's do it, OK???

the K-ounting on One Hand

 

[spectrum]

Well then, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for the fast responses!

Lot's of things make perfect sense and lots of things are taught and devised. The ONLY standard you can count on is to make establishing signals part of your pre-dive briefing.

I was taught to flash open hands of 5 fingers for each remaining 500 PSI and adjust the last hand at to 1 finger for each remaining 100 PSI. for 1200 it would be 2 full hand lashes followed by 2 fingers. IMO that is the most self evident method.

Pete

 

[H2Andy]

my buddies and i very rarely, if ever, flash psis

instead, we point to the pressure gauge and wait for a response, which will be either ok or (very, very rarely) thumbs up

we don't keep track of each other's psi's ... nor do we care ... all we want to know is when it's time to turn the dive

but if we had to signal, say, 2300 psi, we'd signal 2-3-0-0 or just drop the last two zeros and flash 2-3

i believe that is less confusing, which is why it's been widely adopted in cave diving