What is the best practice for maintaining visibility while boating at night?

Displaying proper navigation lights is essential for maintaining visibility while boating at night. These lights are specifically designed to indicate the presence, position, and direction of the vessel to other boaters. In the dark, navigation lights help prevent collisions by allowing other vessels to see you and understand your movements. They are mandatory according to maritime regulations, ensuring that all vessels are visible to one another and can navigate safely.

Using only the boat's internal lighting limits visibility to those inside the boat and does not provide necessary visibility for other vessels. Keeping all lights off can create a dangerous situation since it eliminates visibility entirely for your boat, making it nearly impossible for others to see you. While a flashlight could be useful for signaling, it does not provide the consistent and required visibility that navigation lights offer, which could lead to accidents on the water. Thus, having the proper navigation lights is the best practice to ensure safety and visibility at night when boating.