In a near-miss scenario, which signal might indicate your intention to pass and warn the other vessel?

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Communicating your maneuver clearly is crucial in close-quarters to prevent collision. Five short blasts on the whistle is the standard signal used to indicate you intend to pass another vessel and to warn them of your approach. The rapid, repetitive pattern is highly audible and unambiguous, which helps the other vessel understand your overtaking intent and take appropriate action.

The other patterns have different, more general meanings and don’t convey the overtaking intent as specifically. A long blast or a single short blast are associated with different navigational signals (such as changes in course or speed or attention drawing) and wouldn’t reliably communicate your plan to pass. Two short blasts likewise have a separate standard meaning. So, five short blasts best matches the need to warn and indicate your plan to pass.