Surface Signaling (Hand Signals, SMBs, Whistles)

When you're on the surface your ability to signal, both to your buddy and to the boat, can make the difference between a smooth pickup and a serious miscommunication. Whether you're trying to stay visible, call for help, or simply say "I'm OK," surface signaling should be deliberate, clear, and practiced.

Types of Surface Signals

Hand Signals

• “OK”: Form a large O over your head using both arms or one arm if the other is occupied
• “Help” or “Pick me up”: Wave one arm in a wide arc, straight overhead
• “Come here” / “Head this way”: Point in the desired direction or use a beckoning motion

These are easy to use but only work if you're already visible to the person you're signaling, especially in clear weather and calm seas.

Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) / Delayed SMB (dSMB)

• Brightly colored tube deployed at the surface or just before surfacing
• Crucial in low visibility, boat traffic, or current
• Makes your location visible before you surface which is especially important in drift diving or live boat pickups
• Can also serve as a visual reference for other divers or a physical marker in current

Even if not required by the boat, carrying one is a smart default as it is your only true visibility device in some open water environments.

Audible Signaling Devices (Use with Intention)

• Whistle: Compact and effective for short-to-medium range surface signaling. Keep it in a pocket, not clipped externally, to avoid snagging or creating noise during the dive
• Air horn (inflator-powered): Very loud and can work in rough seas, but generally overkill. Not popular with most divers and should be used sparingly
• Shakers or tank bangers: Intended for use underwater, but widely regarded as annoying and disruptive. Most divers avoid them entirely, and they serve no purpose at the surface

Best practice: Carry a whistle in your pocket. Skip the rest unless you’re in high boat traffic or extreme conditions.

When to Signal

• Upon surfacing: Always signal “OK” to the boat or shore team as soon as you're up and stable
• If you're waiting for pickup: Use an SMB and be ready to wave if needed
• If you're drifting: Deploy your SMB early and keep it upright
• If you’re in distress or need help: Wave one arm overhead and blow your whistle in repeated bursts

Practical Tips

• Use your BCD to stay upright and hands-free when signaling. Don't try to signal while treading water
• Practice deploying your SMB in calm water. Don’t wait until you need it
• If you're using a whistle, point your head toward the boat when blowing as it helps direct the sound
• Keep signals slow and deliberate as frantic motion often just looks like splashing from a distance

The Mask-on-Forehead Myth

You’ve probably heard that putting your mask on your forehead signals distress. That is diver folklore and not an actual emergency signal. Boats don’t rescue divers based on mask placement, and no experienced team uses that as a formal sign of trouble.

(That said, some smartass diver might still try to “educate” you about it. Just smile and nod. They're parroting bad info and missing the real issue.)

Still, you shouldn’t park your mask on your forehead. Not because of signaling, but because it’s the least secure place to put it:

• It slips off easily, especially in chop, current, or when you’re adjusting other gear
• It’s easy to forget it’s there and lose it while boarding or taking off fins
• If it falls, it’s probably gone

Better alternatives:

• Keep it on your face until you’re out of the water
• Spin it around so the strap sits across your forehead and the skirt is at the back of your head (my preferred method). It keeps the mask secure, out of the way, and less likely to snag or slip
• Or hang it around your neck (if that feels comfortable and stable with your gear setup)
• Less popular, but would work, is clipping it to a D-Ring or threading your arm through the mask strap

Bottom line: Don’t put your mask somewhere it can fall off easily. The superstition isn’t the problem. Losing your gear is.