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Great thread! Some of you know that I'm a Coast Guard helicopter pilot. Let me be clear- EPIRBs will save your life. If you are purchasing one, get a 406; if you have a 121.5 or 203 hanging around- continue to use it until you are ready to replace it with a new 406 model. The USCG is supposed to no longer monitor 121.5 and 203 ELTs anymore, but obviously if we hear the signal being transmitted we will still look for the source. The 406 is better because it can transmit your current position in addition to the locating beacon.
People often assume that they will be easy to see from a helicopter if they fall in the water. The fact is that a person in the water is almost impossible to find unless they have some sort of signaling device handy. During the day, a mirror is best. At night, a strobe or flare work well. Radios always work well and you should only purchase handhelds that are water resistant or water proof. Consider that only your head is above the water after falling overboard, and we may be searching an area upwards of 50 or 100 square miles. While the helicopter is easy to see in the air, the victim is not easy to see in the water. Brightly colored life jackets won't even help much because they will be mostly submerged while worn by a survivor. Someone suggested filing a float plan, and you would be surprised how helpful they can be to constructing an effective search plan. Just be sure you close them out when you return to shore. Cell phones are actually becoming the most reliable means of communication the CG has with people in distress, but only when the phone is dry, in an area that has service coverage, and for comms between the boaters and a CG shore station. Those of us in the helicopters and CG boats will not be able to talk to you via phone and we are the people out there looking for you. If you need to talk to us, simply hail "Coast Guard helicopter (or vessel) in the vicinity of #####, this is the vessel ##### calling on channel 16". We will respond to you quickly and provide whatever assistance we can. Hope some of this info helps.
Jeff