Found him ~3 miles out after an hour of searching

[inquis]

Sunlight reflecting from a mirror is a very narrow beam, plus there is that angle of incidence equaling the angle of reflection business. How can you tell that your beam is hitting the eyes of whomever you want to see it?

It spreads out more than you think. Stretch out your arm, put the boat between two fingers held in a "V" (or an appropriate British sign), mirror near your eyes, and sweep the spot across your fingers. It's the "blink" that will get noticed.

 

[morecowbells]

In addition to my mirror, my hot pink fins, SMB and camera strobe should get me noticed.

 

[Charred]

I have a signaling mirror I have attached to my BCD from DAN I think. In the middle it has a little optical you look through at the target of the flash. Then you wiggle it.

Don't forget a whistle. I have one attached to my inflator. It is my first to use signal after my BCD and I've used it at Cozumel to catch a boats attention.

 

[Charred]

Just a friendly reminder...
I used to search for people in open ocean from the air. I recommend that you carry all of the following signal devices, all of the time:

Signal mirror
Sea dye
SMB

I carry a regular 1-meter SMB, but I also carry a 3-meter SMB. And sometimes I carry a GPS satellite beacon and a strobe.

Could you please comment on the correct time to deploy the dye?

 

[ggunn]

I have a signaling mirror I have attached to my BCD from DAN I think. In the middle it has a little optical you look through at the target of the flash. Then you wiggle it.

But that's what I was saying about about the angles of incidence and reflection. As a simple example, if the boat you want to signal is directly in front of you and the sun is near the horizon 60 degrees to your right, the mirror must be pointed halfway between them, i.e., 30 degrees to the right of the boat, for the sun's rays to be directed at the boat. If the sun is high in the sky the same thing happens in three dimensions. Pointing the mirror directly at the boat won't work unless the sun is low in the sky straight up from it.

I like the idea of the two fingered "V" way of aiming the mirror (call it the Agincourt Method) that inquis described.

 

[Doc Harry]

Could you please comment on the correct time to deploy the dye?

The dye is quite visible from an aircraft from a long distance. Deploy the dye when you see that an aircraft is in the vicinity, and may be searching for you.

 

[ggunn]

The dye is quite visible from an aircraft from a long distance. Deploy the dye when you see that an aircraft is in the vicinity, and may be searching for you.

A la Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny?

 

[JFS]

Sunlight reflecting from a mirror is a very narrow beam, plus there is that angle of incidence equaling the angle of reflection business. How can you tell that your beam is hitting the eyes of whomever you want to see it?

Have you ever tried a signal mirror in the water? Some years ago , a group of divers whose boat sunk going across the channel to the mainland drifted for many hours. Do you know how the captain from the Russian Yacht Ice spotted them? He saw the reflection from a mirrored device one of the divers was carrying. You need to practice how to use any signaling device. Most divers do not practice such skills even carrying or deploying a buoy.

 

[dflaher]

I've just ordered one and will be teaching myself how to use it (albeit on land) before my next trip down. Hopefully I won't flash any planes .

 

[JFS]

I've just ordered one and will be teaching myself how to use it (albeit on land) before my next trip down. Hopefully I won't flash any planes .

Go on youtube.....