Water safety, Coast Guard boat tours, boating regulations, and life jacket information will be the focus of events planned for Sunday, July 6, at the St. Ignace Marina. The program, which is sponsored by the Michigan State Police Underwater Recovery Unit from St. Ignace, will cover all aspects of year around water safety. Free to the public, the event runs from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

U.S. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary will offer tours on their boats, and the State Police underwater recovery unit from St. Ignace will talk about diving and how divers respond to a drowning. The Mackinac County Sheriff's Office will have its patrol boats available for viewing and will talk about boating laws and offer safe boating advice. The Department of Natural Resources will be on hand to answer fishing questions, and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Police will address tribal conservation laws. U.S. Boarder Patrol and Customs and Immigration representatives will explain boating laws and document requirements for those interested in sailing to Canada.

Booths will be set up, brochures will be handed out, and staff will be available to answer questions.

The program will include water safety advice for each season of the year. The Coast Guard will begin the program by talking about the dangers of ice and techniques used to rescue people from icy waters.

The event, entitled Boater and Water Safety Awareness Day, is being organized by State Trooper Craig Dorenbecker of the St. Ignace post. The master diver said that the Upper Peninsula averages about two drownings a year, although by mid-June this year, he already has been on four recovery dives. A 67% statewide increase in water-related deaths statewide sparked his idea for the event.

More public awareness about water safety is needed, he said. "It's safe, as long as you respect the water."