The Alaska Office of Boating Safety will be offering Alaska Water Wise, a boating course designed for Alaskans, on December 12, 2009 from 9am-6pm in the Atwood Building, 7th & E Street, Anchorage. This course is approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard. The course satisfies most states' boating safety education requirements and may even qualify boaters for boat insurance discounts.

Segments include pre-departure preparation, boating operations, boating hazards and emergencies, cold water survival, and navigation/rules of the road. Students who attend all sessions, and pass the written exam and skills, will be issued a course completion card.

The course is free but pre-registration is encouraged. For more information contact Joe McCullough at (907) 269-8704 or joseph.mccullough@alaska.gov.

Alaska Water Wise courses will also be held in Soldotna on the following dates in 2010: January 16th, February 20th, March 6th, and April 3rd. For more information on these courses, contact Kenai River Rangers Ali Eskelin or Jack Ransom at 262-5581, ext 6.

Alaska Boater's Handbook

The Alaska Office of Boating Safety is pleased to announce the arrival of the newest edition of Alaska Boater’s Handbook!  We are posting the draft on our web site to allow for comments and review by YOU, the real Alaskan boater.  If you would like to share your ideas and comments or have questions for us, please email them to megan.piersma@alaska.gov. 

Award Winning Cold Water Immersion Video Available To Public
The Alaska Office of Boating Safety is pleased to offer a new instructional video on cold water boating safety. In a state where capsizing and falls overboard into cold water account for the majority of boating deaths the video, entitled Cold Water Boating, is intended to educate boaters on how to prepare for, avoid, and survive a cold water immersion event. The video has received two awards: The National Safe Boating Council's Media Award; and the Videographer Awards 2008 Award of Distinction.

The video depicts actual in-water situations, and provides practical and relevant information for Alaska’s boaters.

Within Alaska, the video is available at no charge at either the Anchorage or Fairbanks Alaska Department of Natural Resources Public Information Centers, or by mail (for the price of postage) from:

	Alaska Department of Natural Resources Public Information Center
	550 W. Seventh Avenue, Suite 1260 Anchorage, Alaska, 99501-3557 Telephone (907) 269-8400 dnr.pic@alaska.gov		3700 Airport Way Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 Telephone (907) 451-2706 fbx-pic@alaska.gov