windsurf hand signal

[joe_windsurfer]

hello:

my wife does ASL/American Sign Language - that has French origins
the windsurf signal is the letter Y
if you shake it, it means "play"

people tell me the w/s sign and shake originate from Hawaii and the "hang loose"

any-one have the true nitty-griity ??

thx

[Roger]

Hi Joe,
I do not know the origins, but the "Shaka" did originate on Maui (I think).
The "shaka" is the thumb extended and the little finger extended ( perhaps that's the letter "Y" in ASL/American Sign Language but I do not know ASL so cannot confirm this).
With the thumb and little finger extended, the "shaka" is a twist of the wrist to wave these two fingers in
a little arc.
Could be an old time surfing sign, but I think it's been pretty much windsurfing related AFAIK!
Hope this helps,
Roger

[joe_windsurfer]

thx Rog

AND i always thought the shaka was just a w/s move :-)

see the Y here http://www.bsu.edu/aslclub/history.htm
will now look for "play" in ASL
here's a sample :-)
http://www.signingsavvy.com/wordlist/13/PLAY/285

[Roger]

Hi Joe,
Yep, the "shaka" is definitely the same as the "Y" on the ASL club link!
But it's not quite the same as the "play" on the signing savy link.
The "shaka" (as I know it) is not shaking both hands up and down
like "play" (SS link) but more a one handed twist of the wrist with the
fingers in the "Y" symbol.
Now you've pretty much exhausted my knowledge about this.
Enjoy,
Roger

[joe_windsurfer]

thx Rog

it was just somethin i was always curious about
what happens in ASL is - there are many variations of the same sign
will double check whether the shaka w/s wrist twist is a valid one-handed play :-)

good winds