David Y. Ige

New dive flag posters help create awareness for boating safety

HONOLULU —   To help improve ocean safety awareness for boaters and divers, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is launching an outreach campaign, starting this weekend at the Lanikai Boat Ramp in Kailua, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1, 2016.

“In recent years, there have been several incidents in which people in the water have been struck by vessels,” said DLNR chairperson Suzanne Case.  “Earlier this year, an Oahu man and his son were struck by a recreational vessel in the waters off Kailua.  That is why we have chosen Lanikai to kick off this awareness campaign,” she said.

Officers from DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) will be providing dockside information and education on recreational boating rules and safety. Meanwhile, DOCARE waterborne patrols on jet skis will fan out to enforce recreational boating safety requirements, operator certification and safety carriage requirements. Staff from the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) will also be present on Saturday to introduce their newest education tool — a pair of dive flag posters to raise awareness about boating safety for swimmers and divers.

“We feel it is important to conduct this periodic outreach in various waterways and have produced these informational posters to distribute to  people who need them most — ocean users — and to ocean recreation businesses where people will be able to study them, learn the rules and change their behaviors for the sake of safety,” said Case.

Designed by Viki Nasu Design Group, one poster focuses on the critical importance of divers using dive flags to mark their location, and the importance of boaters to keep a constant watch and to steer clear of divers. The other poster depicts how to use the appropriate dive flag for a range of intended uses.

The posters will be made available to dive shops, boat retailers, ocean recreation businesses and anyone interested at DOBOR outreach booths. Posters can also be found at DOBOR district offices on each island.

Other outreach dates and locations will be announced in the future via the DLNR web site at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/

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PDFs of the two posters can be viewed at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zdaldv73s641mkf/AABmeluKO7q0BUn4_9X75RL4a?dl=0

For more information media may contact:

Deborah Ward

DLNR Communications specialist

Phone: (808) 587-0320