On 28-Apr-2004, "riverman" wrote:

Maybe some sort of dye that
would mark the water where you are?

The dyes are for daytime use only.

Do they make something like a Pieps for
seafaring use. like what ships have for when they get in trouble?

EPIRB. Pricey but effective. Very pricey if you send a false alarm!

I know I'd be wary of carrying flares; between
accidental discharge or failure, they'd be worrisome.

I've not heard of an accidental discharge. If there was a significant
risk of that, I'd not carry three of them on my PFD at all times (for
the last 6 years).

ISTR reading somewhere that recent tests have shown that failure rates
are better for flares today when compared to even five years ago.
Can anyone confirm?

Mike