New Zealand surfskis on the water

Thanks, Robert. That is a very important observation. Often when you spot a kayaker from afar, it is the movement of the paddle that first catches the eye – the eye reacts very strongly to small movements (which is why it is hard to read a text on a website if there are animated objects in a sidebar.

When the paddler comes a bit closer you see the pfd – and then a cap (but only if those are brightly colored). The hull can be spotted from a distance only in calm conditions.

The visibility of colors is debated. The often used yellow-orange-red are generally good but may be hard to see at dusk. White is a good choice in calm conditions but not in white-capped waves. Black has advantages in a fog.

When searching for a kayak from a rescue vessel or a helicopter a light turquoise is considered the best choice overall, based on experience (surprising considering that the sea might appear turquoise sometimes). The kayak should ideally be one color only – a broken color fields design is a camouflage (but what about a black hull and a white deck and a frantically rolling paddler ;-)

And talking visibility: I have seen a lot of fancy ideas on radar reflectors for kayaks over the years. They have on thing in common – they don't work.

A Swedish kayak manufacturer once introduced a safety innovation: built-in radar reflectors (a metal mesh in the hull lamination) – only to be informed that in anything but dead calm they would be hidden in wave reflections or killed by the squelch control. The same goes for trashed beer cans on the deck or crumpled aluminum foil in the cap. The reflection rate of such gadgets is so minimal that you have to be almost within reach before a radar picks them up.

The only reasonably reliable device is a professionally constructed radar reflector on a meter high stick, which of course will compromise the stability of the kayak – and still depend on the attention of the radar operator.

The conclusion is: you are probably invisible – stay clear of other boats!