When visibility is limited, underwater communication can be difficult, and there’s a real risk of becoming separated from your buddy. Since communication is so important, but hand signals and slates can be difficult if not impossible to see clearly, it’s important to be well-versed in the use of rope signals. These same signals can be used if you are diving with a tender. Let’s review.
Basic Rope Signals for Divers
Whether diving with a surface tender or a buddy, there are several signals that have the same meanings. These are:
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1 pull – “Are you OK?” or “I am OK.”
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2 pulls – “Stay put,” or “I am stationary.”
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Continuous pulls – “Emergency, I’m bringing you to the surface,” or “I have an emergency, bring me to the surface.”
Some signals have different meaning. When you’re diving with a surface tender, a series of 3 pulls means “Descend,” or “I’m going down.” When you are diving with a buddy, those same three pulls mean “Move away from me, all the way to the line limit.”
When diving with a surface tender, a series of 4 pulls means “Ascend,” or “I’m coming up.” When you are diving with a buddy, a series of four pulls mean “Come over to me.”
In almost all cases, it is normal for all signals to be preceded by a short tug which is meant to attract attention. The person on the receiving end gives a quick tug in reply, signaling that they’re ready to receive the message. Once the message has been received, it should be repeated to ensure the correct meaning was conveyed; if the response is incorrect, the message should be repeated until the meaning is understood. This is true in all cases but the continuous pull signifying an emergency, which needs to be acted on without delay.
If you send a signal and receive no reply, wait a moment and try again. It is possible that your buddy may have his or her hands full and might not be able to answer immediately. If you’ve tried signaling a few times and still have not received a reply, there could be an emergency; it’s important to take common-sense steps to determine what’s happening and start planning a potential rescue in the event this happens.
Advanced Rope Signals
Different organizations use a variety of rope signals to communicate with one another, depending on the circumstances. Communications may deal with commercial work, search and rescue work, or any number of things; buddy pairs can even make up their own series of signals to communicate with one another. If you do this, be sure that both of you are very well-versed on the meaning of all signals being used! It’s a good idea to keep things as basic as possible to avoid the potential for confusion.
While learning how to use rope signals for underwater communication, practice in a safe place as you learn the basics, and practice periodically to ensure that you don’t forget what the signals mean. Doing this means that when you need to use this skillset in a real-life situation, you’ll be able to do so with confidence.