Thumbs Up/Down?

[spacemanspiff1974]

I've used thumbs up for abort the dive. Honestly, I really hate this sign as it can mean so many things to different people. "Good job", "ok", "ascend up a little".

When I am diving with my friends, we have a very unambiguous signal for abort the dive:

One hand extended and bent up at a 90 degree angle with your hand in a fist. The other hand caps the fist. Kind of like the old "up yours" sign but with the other hand capping the fist instead of capping the bicep.

Oh... and a mask on my forehead means that I am wearing a mask on my forehead.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Is it really that hard to use a thumb for direction? As someone already said, other industries use the thumb as well. Personally, I find that it's nice to have "different" signals than normal people. I've given the thumb-index O for "ok" when asked before, and someone else has said "oh, are you a diver?" Doesn't happen every time, but I have met other divers that way. Plus, I have seen in movies times when people use our "ok" to mean "ok."

Not to mention, by giving the "ok" sign with your pinky and ring finger folded against your palm, you can send the message of "ok, no thanks to you," or "I'm fine but don't you ever spray cheese whiz on my tank valve and back again you jerk!" To send the same signal with a thumb would look odd.



If you are really concerned and dislike your thumb as an "up/down" signaling device, I suggest you make your own. For example, left leg stuck out means "lets' go up" and right leg stuck out means "lets descend." Or get dive slates.

 

[tridacna]

Thanks for the research. Someone must have formalized this signal. Every agency worldwide uses and teaches it. I'm just trying to find out the history. I'm not sure what Cousteau used...Wait maybe this whole thing is a French plot. Let's confuse the rest of the world. Everyone uses "thumbs up" as an "OK", we'll use it completely differently. Ha!

I have seen countless students misuse the signal. It kinda goes against regular usage unless you're a crane operator!

There must be a story somewhere about a meeting or decision about this. Hard to find...

 

[tridacna]

Is it really that hard to use a thumb for direction?

Is it really that hard for you to try and answer the original question?

If you are really concerned and dislike your thumb as an "up/down" signaling device, I suggest you make your own. For example, left leg stuck out means "lets' go up" and right leg stuck out means "lets descend." Or get dive slates.

Thanks for the "advice". Do you have anything to contribute here or are you just derailing the topic with a dumb troll? Here's my advice to you: Do a few more dives. Apparently you have much more experience with your middle finger than your thumb. :mooner:

 

[Garrobo]

Hmmmm. Last guy sounds like a DIR freak to me. Maybe you should take off your mask and yell at the top of your lungs: "I'm going up, m***********."

 

[Garrobo]

I meant "take out your reg", not "take off your mask". Silly old fool, I know.

 

[robertarak]

I have done no research and to be honest, I only have a mild guess at the answer to the OP's question.

It seems to me that using the index finger to point up would really indicate "one", so a different finger would have to be used for "up". So let's see what our choices are. I think we can rule out the middle finger as it already has a universal meaning. The ring finger is just plain impossible to hold up by itself, and the little tiny pinky is A) too small to see and B) could call one's sexuality in to question. So the only finger left is not a finger at all. It is the thumb!

Here endith the lesson.

 

[ianr33]

Hmmmm. Last guy sounds like a DIR freak to me. Maybe you should take off your mask and yell at the top of your lungs: "I'm going up, m***********."

Thank you for another excellent post.

Very informative.

 

[rawls]

Think of the universal acceptance of a diver having a right hand release on his or her weight belt. Would there be a disaster to have a left handed release? I can't see why. But the right handed release is what a diver looks for if they have to ditch a buddy's or his or her own weight. Where did it come from...Don't know...I assume some of you do know...
Would it be wrong to use the index finger to point upwardly? Don't see why it would as long as your buddy knew what you were signaling. But it has been universally accepted that the thumbs up, thumbs down is a signal for ascent and descent respectively.

Who knows where the signals originated, but universal acceptance of signals between divers lends to decrease confusion when trying to communicate while underwater, and in the case of ascend and descend, the thumbs up/down has always been the accepted method of communication...Confusion underwater is not a good thing...Having universally accepted communication signals is the important thing regardless of their origination...

 

[ianr33]

Would it be wrong to use the index finger to point upwardly?

That tends to mean "one"

FWIW my buddies and I normally use a circling motion with a raised index finger for "turn the dive,start to ascend " A thumb is reserved for "problem,abort,get out of here" A very emphatic thumb would be "get out of here NOW!!!" Fortunately I have never had to use that one.