Anyone know why the lifeguards at Typhoon Lagoon do the weird hand motions at Castaway Creek?

[mergatroid]

When you're slowly floating around Castaway Creek on a rubber ring you often see them walk, stop and then do this weird hand motion which is best described as a cross between a Catholic Priest doing a cross and a military person pointing to different zones in a battlefield? Mostly it's seen near the misty parts where the creek splits into two around some rocks. It's always bugged me?

 

[Club Cooloholic]

When you're slowly floating around Castaway Creek on a rubber ring you often see them walk, stop and then do this weird hand motion which is best described as a cross between a Catholic Priest doing a cross and a military person pointing to different zones in a battlefield? Mostly it's seen near the misty parts where the creek splits into two around some rocks. It's always bugged me?

I can only imagine to signal to a person you can't see(or camera) a count of people floating down or if everything looks good?

 

[HauntedPirate]

When you're slowly floating around Castaway Creek on a rubber ring you often see them walk, stop and then do this weird hand motion which is best described as a cross between a Catholic Priest doing a cross and a military person pointing to different zones in a battlefield? Mostly it's seen near the misty parts where the creek splits into two around some rocks. It's always bugged me?

If I’m thinking correctly about what you’re describing, they are checking “zones” in the pool before they rotate to a new area to watch.

 

[monothingie]

Snickers bars (the official candy bar of WDW) in the river?

@realBobChapek would be so proud of me

 

[Giss Neric]

Like this?

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Or this..

 

[castlecake2.0]

It’s done to check the zones they are responsible for. You’ll also see this at resort pools before they rotate to their position.

 

[ridetech939]

When you're slowly floating around Castaway Creek on a rubber ring you often see them walk, stop and then do this weird hand motion which is best described as a cross between a Catholic Priest doing a cross and a military person pointing to different zones in a battlefield? Mostly it's seen near the misty parts where the creek splits into two around some rocks. It's always bugged me?

I believe this is a "recommended best practice" from the lifeguard training gurus at Ellis & Associates.
Ellis & Associates is the third party lifeguard training and risk management company that Disney (and most other water parks/ theme parks) use to train their lifeguards.

 

[JIMINYCR]

All Lifeguards in general learn a variety of hand signals to communicate across distances to their fellow lifeguards. It allows them to get messages between them without having to yell over those enjoying the pool. I'm not sure what Disneys hand signals you are seeing on Castaway Creek but it surely is involving a safety issue, or as others have mentioned checking zones.

 

[FettFan]