You should never go into the woods or on the water without a whistle hung around your neck. You can't out scream a good whistle, and you can't sustain the effort of screaming or hollering. But you can blow a good whistle long and often. A whistle is far superior to shouting because your voice just doesn't carry very far, especially in the woods. The whistle can be heard for 1/2 to 2 miles whereas your voice may only carry for a few hundred feet, at best. You will also be able to signal for much longer periods of time, whereas your vocal cords will give out very quickly.

Police or Referee’s whistles are loud but may have some serious drawbacks when used in a marine environment. A metal whistle can freeze to your lips in adverse conditions. If the whistle has a pea or cork in the resonance chamber, that pea may expand with water or freeze to the side of the whistle. The whistle should also be self draining or at least easy to free of water. Whistles should be attached to all life jackets, rafts, and foul weather marine gear. NOTE: Do NOT fasten a whistle to the zipper pull on your PFD. The force of the water against the whistle can unzip your PFD!

The shrill and unmistakable blast of a whistle repeated three times is a universal signal for help and definitely will attract the attention of anyone within earshot. Blow three clear blasts, pausing for a few seconds between each, then wait for five minutes and repeat until you are rescued. If you need help and hear a whistle, respond immediately with three blasts every time. Just remember S.O.S.

Whistle signals can also help keep a party of kayaks or canoes together. Always review at launch what simple codes you will use to communicate among paddlers in your group. For example, a long single whistle could mean "where are you"; anyone not in sight of the signaler could respond with two short whistles signifying "I am okay." Two long whistles could be a call for stragglers to join the rest of the group; a response of two short whistles in this case could mean "Roger. I am coming."                         Mike Anderberg

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