Attracting Huw's attention, I tapped my watch, pointed to the hull above our heads and indicated that we should ascend. He urgently scissored his hands in front of him in a 'no' signal. Grasping the bottom rung of the ladder and removing my fins, I again indicated that he should ascend. Nobody appeared to be pointing in our direction. It was a good face-saving plan.
Some people rise to a challenge.
Huw proved such a person. The splashing of our fins as we pounded our way back to Taka drowned out the skipper's cheery farewell. I hope my little charade proved helpful in demonstrating the importance of good underwater navigation techniques. Understanding tides and currents and how to use the compass properly are fine, but a good diver should also be able to rely on natural aids to navigation like sand-ripples, light shadows, and the effect of tidal flow on kelps and seaweeds. He said with a straight face.