What does the OK sign mean?

[PfcAJ]

I know the DIR crowd is extremely diligent about specifying uniform gear configuration and procedural consistencies that facilitate team diving by individuals who have never met before. I always assumed that this attention to detail would also pertain (possibly more so) to a consistency with respect to hand sign convention? Is that true?

There is a standardized set of hand signals taught by GUE. I have hopped in the water with guys from all over the world without even a hiccup. It's pretty neat.

Theres also a focus on non-ambiguous hand signals, which is really critical to conveying the intended message sans confusion.

 

[tphelps]

I'm a bit concerned that your instructor didn't make this clear or that you didn't ask when first starting the course, as it is the most frequently used sign in diving.

Andy, aka Devon Diver, said it best. In tech, we use it as a command signal. "Ok" is a question and a statement. Holding it up to someone is asking if they are okay, so you give the sign back indicating that you are. If not, you make the "problem" signal and point to the problem. Whenever diving with some one new or in a different location, it is a good idea to become acquainted with your buddy's signals and familiarize yourself with signals that the DM might use. Since you can't talk underwater (unless you have a communication system), hand signals are extremely important to have a fun, safe dive.

 

[Mike.D]

Hahahaha lovely.

 

[herbdb]

I occasionally get the enthusiastic OW student who will respond to an OK signal with a thumbs-up ... and then wonder why we went to the surface. I have to remind them that in scuba diving a thumbs-up isn't the sign that you're having a great time, and try to break them of that habit before we leave the pool ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

During my military carreer a thumbs up was an enthusiastic yes or sign of approval. My regular buddies, who don't suffer from this background, just shake their heads in disgust after confirming that I am just happy. I try not to make the same mistake twice in one day.

 

[Adobo]

What I first learned to dive, the OK sign meant that I was breathing OK and not struggling. For example, while descending I would exchange the OK sign with my buddy to mean we're descending without unexpected issues.

I have also experienced that the OK sign means "I'm ready to take off". So when I exchanged the OK sign with that person (an instructor), he turned around and took off but I still had to get everything completely right (adjust mask, equalize, etc.)

So does the OK sign mean "no unexpected problems, but I might still be doing something" or does it mean "Everything is fine, I'm just waiting here, and I'm ready to take off" ?? I feel like I need a "wait" sign -- "Wait, I'm resolving something but I'm not struggling".

Thanks,

Bill

Over the past few years, I have grown to believe that learning to dive in the internet is really not as productive as it appears. While the opinions you get on scubaboard are usually from experienced/competent divers, these divers come from different backgrounds, with varied training approaches/philosophies and really, different preferences as to how diving is done.

To me, this question of what the OK signal means (and by extension, how to signal "wait/stop") for a diver should be relatively easy to get an answer for. And yet even on this thread, there does not seem to be a consensus emerging.

In my very humble opinion, what matters is not what a collection of random strangers think an OK signal means. What matters is what you and your dive buddies mean when you signal OK. If you intend on only diving with your wife, all you need to do is agree with her what each signal means to both of you. This includes all signals including the OK signal.

If you intend on diving with a larger community that has adopted a standard on what signals mean, you should check with that community how they do it so that whenever you dive with one of that community's members, you are closer to being on the same page - right from the get go.

If you plan on diving with random people from dive to dive, it doesn't really matter what you mean with your OK signal because you will have to sync up with your random buddy before the dive to agree on what each signal means.

Best of luck.

 

[billt4sf]

If you are still adjusting something or fixing a minor problem at the bottom of the downline, don't respond immediately, or respond with the "not quite right" signal, or the "hold" signal, so that your buddy knows you aren't ready to move off.

That would be either the palm down, wrist rotation or the "stop" sign, palm facing the other person, flag the hand down like a flagman on the roadway ?

- Bill

 

[Tigerman]

The best exchange of signals I ever saw must have been the person trying to ask "are you the one shaking a rattle"..
Lets just say he thought the question involved the word "wanker"

 

[TSandM]

Bill, the "not quite right" is the hand out horizontally, and rotating the wrist back and forth. The "hold" signal used by technical and cave divers is the closed fist, palm-side-out, that Bob describes above. Your BAUE buddies will know this one.

 

[DevonDiver]

I would diffentiate between 'hold' and 'stop'.

Hold = Raised clenched fist (a common military signal too).
Stop = Raised flat hand - palm towards other diver.

A hold signal indicates the diver should stop moving forwards. It is a 'team movement signal' and is important in overhead environment diving (divers should be able to signal 'forwards', 'stop' and 'backwards').

In contrast, the stop signal meaning 'cease all activity'. This can be used in emergencies; i.e. if someone is entangled or about to kick silt etc. It can also be used while teaching; i.e. you want the student to immediately stop or pause whatever they're doing. In teaching, it may be used to pause a drill to reinforce a learning point or highlight procedural errors - often followed by 'remember' or 'watch me' signal etc.

 

[Tortuga68]

Bill, the "not quite right" is the hand out horizontally, and rotating the wrist back and forth.

Commonly "problem" followed by pointing to the problem, I would expect a second signal after or my reply would what problem?