Our samples included (clockwise from bottom ûleft) the Orion Handheld flare, the (Pains- ûWessex) Pinpoint Handheld Orange Smoke ûflare, the Pains Wessex Mk3 Lifesmoke, the ûPains Wessex Mk7 Red Handflare, the Orion ûHandheld Orange Smoke Signal, and the ûBristol Hand Red Flare.

No matter how you put out a call for help on the water—VHF, EPIRB, cell phone, or mental telepathy—sooner or later you'll need to establish visual contact with potential rescue craft. That's when you discover that boats (not to mention liferafts and swimmers) are very small, and the water around is very large. It's extremely hard to locate anything in the water unless you're close to it.

There are a variety of approaches aimed at increasing the noticeabilty and visibility of a boat in distress. For nighttime use, there are aerial flares (both the self-contained variety and ones shot from flare guns), handheld flares, and a variety of strobes and incandescent…