SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/boat-distress-arms-signal

With no radio or flares, what body signal is an official sign of distress on the water?

Slowly raising and lowering your outstretched arms, again and again.

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  1. Slowly raising and lowering both outstretched arms ✔
  2. Clapping your hands over your head
  3. Waving one hand quickly side to side

Why: Annex IV of the Navigation Rules lists 'slowly and repeatedly raising and lowering arms outstretched to each side' as a distress signal. A quick one-handed wave just looks like hello.

Huh, didn't know that: Annex IV also lists orange smoke, a continuous fog horn and the spoken word 'Mayday' as distress signals.

The dad joke
Why did the boater wave both arms slowly? One quick wave is just hello.
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References

Answer: Slowly raising and lowering both outstretched arms. Annex IV of the Navigation Rules lists 'slowly and repeatedly raising and lowering arms outstretched to each side' as a distress signal. A quick one-handed wave just looks like hello.

  1. 33 CFR 87.01, Annex IV: Distress signals www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-87
    Slowly and repeatedly raising and lowering arms outstretched to each side
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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Test yourself in the game

Boating & WaterWhy does NASBLA stress wearing a life jacket instead of keeping it nearby?Boating & WaterOn coastal waters, a boat under 16 feet must carry which visual distress signals?Boating & WaterYou spot orange smoke billowing from a boat. What does it mean?

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