Smoke signals giving off large volumes of orange smoke 4. Slowly raising and lowering your arms repeatedly 6. A coat or article of clothing on an oar or mast If you get separated from the boat try to make yourself as visible as possible to passing boats and planes. If you frequently venture out on the ocean consider carrying a floating signal with you on your person. This signal can be audio or visual.
Visual signals are the most effective, but sound signals make a good secondary signal.
Signals that indicate a need for help come in groups of three, while the responding signal from rescuers should be in groups of two. Three fires in a triangle pattern. When using fire as a signal remember that bright fires are more easily seen at night, and smokey fires make a better signal in the day. Make letters that contrast with the ground color in a large clearing by using sticks, newspaper, branches, or stomping through the snow. These letters need to be at least 12 feet tall and the width of each line needs to be 2 feet wide.