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through some basic signals. An emergency situation is no time to guess what someone else is trying to tell you.

You could always learn sign language to communicate more complex thoughts, but that would require good visibility and both divers to know the language. There are many options for written communications underwater, and some technical solutions are coming onto the market, but while those are great for more detailed messages and questions, basic hand signals are too fast and too easy to fall out of general use any time soon. Hand signals, and a shared understanding of their meaning between buddies, make diving safer, less frustrating and an experience divers can enjoy together. AD

“Even when everyone in the water knows what they are doing and what they want, if you’re not speaking the same language it’s all just a lot of hand waving.”

Clockwise from top left: Low on air; 800 psi (According to some signal systems, a hand held sideways means 500 psi plus 100 for each extended finger.); “How much air do you have?” (Or, “Please show me your gauge,” according to many divemasters.); descend