Abstract: A water skier safety alarm which is characterized by a flag-deploying mechanism mounted on a boat and designed to receive and deploy a flag when a water skier towed by the boat releases his grip on the tow rope handle. In a first preferred embodiment, the flag-deploying mechanism includes a mechanical linkage which employs a solenoid to normally retain a flag in lowered configuration when a water skier is gripping the tow rope handle and to deploy the flag when the handle is dropped, responsive to operation of a pressure-sensitive switch in the handle. In a second preferred embodiment, the flag is mounted on the telescoping end of an antenna and is stored in the antenna deployment housing when the water skier is gripping the tow rope handle. The flag is telescopically extended from the antenna housing responsive to dropping of the handle and activation of a pressure-sensitive switch in the handle.