Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

It is not the intention of Breakaway to make you an expert in underwater communications, we hope to improve and broaden your underwater communications skills. Nothing can replace practicing underwater communications with your dive partners.

Communication is the way to relay information. It is imperative in diving that a variety of ways to effectively communicate with others in the underwater world. You must first learn the many forms of hand and body posture. Despite comprehensive pre-dive discussions and planning, issues can arise during a dive. It may become imperative to check a partner's air supply, to tell them to go in a certain direction, or to simply signal to see if they are okay. To end a dive requires one of the most basic of hand signals, the 'Go Up' or end the dive hand signal, the thumbs up. In some situations, technical or cave diving, you can communicate by touch and light signals.

There are many hand signals you could learn, but some are deemed more important or more appropriate for diving. Hand signal meanings can vary by agency and area. As long as you and your dive buddies use the same signals, your communication efforts will be better than trying to communicate with someone who has a different 'signal' vocabulary.

You should learn and coordinate your hand signals with all your dive buddies.

You can find and learn more about underwater communications and hand signals from professional divers, online resources, and manuals. Here we have displayed a number of the underwater signals to show you the variety of hand signals as well as putting them to use with other signals.

OK? OK. These are surface signals to ask if another diver is all right and to reply that you are all right. If both hands are free raise them together at the top of your head to make a circle. If one arm is free bring it up in an arc and touch the top of your head.

Extend one arm overhead with fingertips touching top of head to make a large 'O'shape. This method may be used if of one of the diver's hands is occupied.

Surface Signal - Distress Wave hand quickly from a horizontal position to a position overhead. When in the horizontal position, hand may strike the water's surface.

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