If you see smoke and a head/body bobbing around in the water, you're in the right place. The crosshairs in the binoculars will also light up, telling you that you're on the mark ... so swing the binoculars around and watch the crosshairs flicker. It can get to be quite a goat rope, timing it so your binoculars are exactly "on target" (which dosn't necessarily mean they're centered on the flailing airman) then clicking on the life preserver icon ... before the pilot drifts away.