Gratis naslagwerk · Mindful Diving Institute
Scuba diving hand signals
De signalen hieronder worden daadwerkelijk door duikers gebruikt. Ze dienen als naslag, niet als norm: je opleiding bij je duikorganisatie en je briefing vóór de duik bepalen wat je onder water gebruikt. Stem ze vóór elke duik af met je buddy — ook de signalen die je vanzelfsprekend vindt.
Deze pagina is een aanvulling op, en nooit een vervanging voor, de veiligheidsstandaarden en opleidingen van SSI, PADI, CMAS, RAID en andere duikorganisaties. Signalen worden tijdens de briefing afgesproken. Gebruik nooit mindfulnessoefeningen tijdens taakkritische fasen en houd bij het duiken met perslucht nooit je adem in.
The essential five
Agreed before every dive, by every diver, in every language.
OK
Hoe
Thumb and index finger joined in a circle, the other three fingers extended. With gloves or at distance, arm over the head in a circle.Middelen
Both a question and an answer. Asked, it must be answered — silence is not an OK.Not OK / problem
Hoe
Flat hand, palm down, rocked side to side, then point at what is wrong.Middelen
Something is off. Say it early, at amber, not late at red.Up / end the dive
Hoe
Closed fist, thumb up.Middelen
An instruction, not an opinion. Any diver may end any dive, at any time, without giving a reason.Down / descend
Hoe
Closed fist, thumb down.Middelen
Begin or continue the descent, at the agreed rate.Stop / hold
Hoe
Flat open palm facing the buddy.Middelen
Stop adding tasks and stabilise here. The most under-used signal in diving.
Gas and pressure
Numbers vary by agency and by region. Agree yours on the surface.
How much gas?
Hoe
Flat hand tapped twice against the open palm of the other hand, or two fingers to the palm.Middelen
Answer with numbers, honestly and immediately.Half / turn pressure
Hoe
Flat hand held horizontally at chest height, or the agreed number shown on fingers.Middelen
The turn point of the dive plan has arrived.Low on gas
Hoe
Closed fist to the centre of the chest.Middelen
Reserve reached. Begin the ascent plan now, together.Out of gas
Hoe
Flat hand drawn across the throat.Middelen
An emergency. Follow the out-of-gas procedure you trained with your agency and rehearsed with this buddy.Share gas
Hoe
Fingers of a flat hand brought to the mouth, then reaching toward the buddy's alternate.Middelen
Give me your alternate air source. Practised on land, then in shallow water, before it is needed.
Direction, depth and pace
Most task-loading happens here. Keep signals slow and single.
Look / watch me
Hoe
Two fingers pointed toward your own eyes, then toward the object.Middelen
Direct your attention here.Go that way
Hoe
Flat hand held vertically, fingers pointing in the direction of travel.Middelen
The agreed heading.Slow down
Hoe
Flat hand, palm down, pressed gently downward.Middelen
Reduce pace and workload. Almost always the right answer.Level off / stay at this depth
Hoe
Flat hand, palm down, held steady and horizontal.Middelen
Hold this depth.Safety stop
Hoe
Three fingers raised over a flat horizontal hand: three minutes, five metres.Middelen
Hold the stop as planned. A good moment for slow, continuous breathing — nothing else.Stay together
Hoe
Two index fingers held side by side.Middelen
Close the distance and dive as a pair.
Problems and the body
Naming a small problem early is the whole skill.
Ear problem
Hoe
Point to the ear.Middelen
Equalisation is not working. Stop the descent, ascend slightly, try again gently. Never force.Cold
Hoe
Arms crossed over the chest, hands rubbing the upper arms.Middelen
Thermal reserve is going. Cold is a common quiet cause of anxiety and short dives.Cramp
Hoe
Two fists brought together and pulled apart.Middelen
Stop, stretch, let the buddy help.Slow your breathing
Hoe
Flat hand moved slowly up and down in front of the chest.Middelen
Return to slow, continuous breathing. Never breath-holding, skip-breathing or hypoventilation.Dizzy / disoriented
Hoe
Index finger circled beside the head.Middelen
Hold on to something stable, hold depth, signal the buddy and end the dive if it persists.
De watergalerij
Drie aanvullingen die we aan de oppervlakte afspreken
Standaard duiksignalen werken uitstekend bij noodsituaties, maar zeggen vrijwel niets over de toestand vlak daarvoor. Deze drie spreek je vóór het te water gaan af in de buddyafspraak, als aanvulling op — nooit ter vervanging van — de signalen van je duikorganisatie.
Amber
Flat hand tilted side to side, then the OK question. Agreed in the Buddy Agreement before entry.
I am not in trouble, and I am not fine. Slow down, stay close, check me again in a minute.
Settle
Open palm lowered slowly, held still for one full breath cycle.
Nothing is wrong. Take one breath here before the next task. The in-water form of STILL.
Notice this
Two fingers to the eyes, then held open toward the water rather than at an object.
Not a fish or a hazard — the whole scene. An invitation to look wide for a moment.
Leerkaarten
Eén signaal tegelijk. Lees de naam, stel je de hand voor en draai dan de kaart om. Controleer de vorm en de betekenis.
Korte controle
Acht signalen, elk met een eigen vorm. Bij elk antwoord staat de uitleg — de betekenis telt meer dan de score.
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Veelgestelde vragen
Are scuba hand signals the same in every agency and country?
The essential signals — OK, up, down, stop, out of gas — are effectively universal across SSI, PADI, CMAS, RAID and others. Beyond those, details differ by agency, region and dive site. That is why the briefing, not the internet, is the final authority: agree your signals with your buddy and guide before every dive.
What is the most important hand signal in diving?
The thumb up. It ends the dive, it is an instruction rather than a request, and any diver may give it at any time without providing a reason. A close second is the flat open palm — stop — because most incidents grow out of tasks added on top of a situation that was already full.
Why is thumb up 'ascend' rather than OK?
Because on land the thumb up means approval, and underwater it means end the dive. Confusing the two costs dives and occasionally more. Underwater, OK is always the finger-and-thumb circle, never the thumb alone.
How do I signal that I am anxious but not in danger?
Most standard signal sets have no word for this, which is why divers stay silent until the situation is red. Mindful Diving™ adds an agreed amber signal — not in trouble, not fine — so the pair can slow down and stay close early. It is agreed on the surface in the Buddy Agreement and never replaces an agency signal.
Can I practise hand signals before diving?
Yes, and it is the cheapest safety practice there is. Run through the whole set on land with your buddy, then again with masks on in shallow water. Signals you have rehearsed together arrive faster than signals you have only read.
Waar signalen bewuste aandacht worden.
MD-1 Mindful Diver™ oefent de afspraak vóór de duik, het vroege signaal en de rustige reactie tot ze beschikbaar zijn wanneer je ze nodig hebt — binnen het brevet dat je al bij je duikorganisatie hebt.
Stilte heeft een taal.