Date: July, 23, 2007

Coast Guard:  Petty Officer Barry Bena
(305) 415-6683
FWC : Jorge Pino
(561) 723-1417 
National Park Service: Susan Gonshor
(305) 230-1144 x3019 

Coast Guard and Partners to Hold Lobster Mini-Season Press Briefing Tuesday

*Media interested in riding with the Coast Guard, FWC or NPS should contact the respective personnel listed above.*

MIAMI - The Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the National Park Service are scheduled to hold a press briefing Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, 100 MacArthur Causeway, Miami Beach, Fla.

The press briefing will cover the added importance of adhering to diving and boating safety regulations during lobster mini-season with the thousands of boats that will take to the waters around the state of Florida.

The lobster mini-season, beginning 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and ending 11:59 p.m. Thursday, brings with it a significant increase in the number of boaters and divers in Florida's coastal waters. This increase in boating activity has led to numerous accidents over the years between boaters and divers failing to exercise proper safety.

The Coast Guard and its partners will be on high alert for reports of injured or missing divers and other search and rescue cases associated with the high influx of boaters. FWC will be out on the water enforcing state laws and NPS will be monitoring the water with 24-hour surveillance by marked and unmarked vessels.

The Coast Guard encourages commercial and recreational divers to be properly certified through an accredited diving course and to utilize signaling devices and safety equipment as part of their gear.  Scuba divers should consider carrying signaling devices to signal to the boat or other divers during a distress situation or when seperated from the dive boat.

The Coast Guard has responded to three diver deaths since last lobster miniseason, responded to 20 missing divers and have medevaced four divers requiring immediate care in South Florida.  More than 20 people have lost their lives scuba diving in the last year in Monroe County.


Some safety tips to remember before and during a dive:

-Get a medical examination from your doctor to ensure your body is physically capable of handling the conditions of the ocean.

-Never dive by yourself. Ensure you have a dive plan and a diving "buddy." There is safety in numbers.

-File a float plan with a family member or friend. If you decide to deviate from your original intended plan, notifications of the change should be made as soon as possible.

-Check your dive equipment carefully and check how the equipment functions, especially if the equipment is rented.

-Mark the area in which you are diving with a dive flag and a light. This is a federally mandated law and is required when divers are in the water.

-Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion, hypothermia and dehydration, as well as procedures for emergency treatment.

-Check the local weather conditions before your dive or begin the trip to your dive site.

-Remember, taking all the basic safety precautions while diving will increase your chance of surviving a potential diving accident.

For rules and regulations on the 2007 mini-season, contact FWC or go to http://www.myfwc.com/