As has been noted the flash of kayak blades is an attention getter. Our visual recognition is keyed to movement and/or changes in intensity or color. The next time you spot a kayak you will probably notice the paddles flash.
Blade color can make a difference however even plain old wood blades flash pretty good when wet and moving. No doubt one of the fluorescent safety colors would be better.
One recent morning heading in from Welch the flash kayak blades got my attention. I then noted the bright color kayak. After getting quite a bit closer I then saw that there was an orange flag on a pole. The flag displayed little movement and was fixed in color and intensity. Even after seeing the boat and the flag, the flashing blades were more prominent.
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