Stop Giving Me the Thumbs Up! The 10 Hand Signals That Will Save Your Life

Hay naku. Yesterday, I had a student. A nice boy from Manila. He had the expensive fins, the GoPro on a stick, the shiny new computer that probably costs more than my house. We are at 20 meters in Verde Island Passage, currents are picking up. I give him the signal for "Problem? Check Air."

You know what he did? He gave me a shaka sign. A "hang loose" surfer sign.

I almost swallowed my regulator.

Listen to Tatay Santiago. The ocean does not care about your Instagram. The ocean is loud with silence. You cannot scream "Help me" when your regulator is in your mouth. You have two hands. You must use them to speak. If you don't speak my language, you become a liability. You become dangerous.

Today, we go back to basics. No fancy electronics. Just hands. If you master these, maybe I won't have to drag you by your tank valve back to the boat.

The "Am I Dying?" Signals

These are the ones you must know even if you are asleep. If you get these wrong, we have big trouble.

1. The "Problem" Signal

How to do it: Put your hand out flat, palm down. Tilt it side to side. Like you are saying "So-so" or "Maybe." Then, you MUST point to the source of the problem.

Problem + Point to Ear = "I cannot equalize." Problem + Point to Chest = "I am breathless / Low on air." Problem + Point to Brain = "I am confused / Narcosis." (Or "I am stupid", I use that one on my nephews).

Why it matters: If you just panic and bolt to the surface, you risk lung over-expansion or Decompression Sickness (the bends). You tell me "Problem," I come to you. We fix it together. Don't wait until the problem is a disaster.

2. How Much Air? (Pressure)

How to do it: I will point to your gauge or tap my palm with two fingers. You must answer me. If you are confused by the fingers, show me your gauge. Do not guess.

The Signals (Metric/Philippines):

• 100 Bar: I make a "T" shape with two hands. (Time out).
• 50 Bar: I hold a clenched fist against my chest. This is "Low Air." We go shallow now.
• 10s: Each finger is 10 Bar. Showing 3 fingers means 30 Bar.

The Cut Throat (Out of Air): If you are completely empty, you slash your hand across your throat. Do not joke with this signal. If you do this, I will shove my octopus (alternate air source) in your mouth instantly.

Santiago’s Rule: Do not lie. I know you big strong men hate to admit you breathe like a vacuum cleaner. If you have 60 Bar, tell me 60 Bar. If you tell me 100 and then run dry five minutes later, sus, you will never dive with me again.

3. "I Am Cold"

How to do it: Cross your arms over your chest and rub your upper arms with your hands. Like you are hugging yourself because you are freezing.

Why it matters: Hypothermia is sneaky. You stop thinking clearly. You get tired. In the Philippines, the water is warm (26-29°C), but after 45 minutes, even I get chilly. If you are cold, tell me. We end the dive shallow or we go up. Being macho and freezing to death is useless.

The Movement Signals

You follow me. I do not follow you. I know where the current goes. You only know where the pretty turtle goes.

4. Look Here / Look at Me

How to do it: Look at Me: I point two fingers (index and middle) to my own eyes, then point to my chest. This means "Stop looking at the clownfish and pay attention to Santiago." Look There: I point to my eyes, then point to the object. A shark. A nudibranch. A boat propeller you are about to hit with your head.

5. Stop / Hold

How to do it: I hold my hand up flat, palm facing you. Like a traffic enforcer.

Why it matters: When I do this, you freeze. You do not kick. You do not fiddle with your camera. It usually means I see something dangerous, or I need to count heads, or the current is changing. If I say stop and you keep swimming, you drift into the blue. Good luck swimming back to Batangas from there.

6. Ascend (Up) / Descend (Down)

How to do it: Up: Thumbs UP. Down: Thumbs DOWN.

The biggest mistake: On land, thumbs up means "Good," "Okay," "I agree." Underwater, thumbs up means "TERMINATE DIVE / GO TO SURFACE." If I ask "Are you OK?" and you give me a Thumbs Up, I will grab your BCD and drag you to the surface because you just told me you want to end the dive. The OK Signal: Make a circle with your thumb and index finger. The other three fingers stick up. This is "I am good." Thumbs up is "Get me out of here."

7. Safety Stop

How to do it: This is specific. I hold my hand flat over my open palm (making a T-shape) or just hold up three fingers clearly. Meaning: We stay at 5 meters (15 feet) for 3 minutes to let the nitrogen out.

Santiago’s Rule: This is not optional. You do not skip this because you are bored. You hang there. You practice neutral buoyancy. You look at the small jellyfish. If you shoot up like a cork, I will catch you.

Advanced Communication: The Noisemakers

Sometimes, hands are not enough. Sometimes the visibility is bad, or you are looking the wrong way.

The Slate (Writing Board)

This is a plastic board with a pencil attached. When to use it: When the story is complicated. "I saw a Thresher Shark deep below us" is hard to mime. Or "My ear hurts only when I go down, not up." Santiago’s Opinion: Keep it short. Do not write a novel. I cannot read your bad handwriting at 30 meters while fighting a current. Write big. NO POETRY.

The Tank Banger / Shaker / Rattle

This is a metal stick you bang on your tank, or a tube with metal balls inside you shake. Clank clank clank.

When to use it:

1. EMERGENCY. You are out of air. You are caught in a net.
2. HUGE creature. A Whale Shark. A Manta.

When NOT to use it: Do not bang your tank because you saw a common sea cucumber. Do not bang your tank to get my attention just to take a selfie. I wear a shaker. When you hear Clank-Clank, you look at me immediately. It is the sound of authority. If everyone has a shaker and everyone is rattling them like a mariachi band, nobody knows what is happening.

Summary of Tools

Here is a simple breakdown so you remember.

Listen to Your Tatay

Diving is silent. That is the beauty of it. We leave the noise of the tricycles and the videoke bars up there on the surface. Down here, we respect the quiet.

But silence does not mean we are alone. We are a team. The buddy system is a sacred pact. "I watch your back, you watch mine." These signals are the contract.

When I ask you "How much air?", do not look at your computer for ten seconds and then shrug. Know your gear. Know your signs. And please, for the love of the ocean, stop giving me the thumbs up unless you want to get back on the boat and carry the tanks.

Now, go check your O-rings. We dive in one hour.