What do actor John Amos, Olympic paddler Rebecca Giddens and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino have in common?

They are just a few notable celebrities who have filmed public service announcements to encourage safe boating. And with the weather warming up and summer right around the corner, National Safe Boating Week arrives just in time to help boating enthusiasts enjoy their favorite pastime safely.

From May 16-22, boating advocates all over the parish will conduct activities aimed at preventing accidents on the water. The program is a campaign of the National Safe Boating Council, a coalition of over 350 U.S. and Canadian organizations dedicated to boating safety and education. The theme of this year’s campaign, “Wear It!” focuses on one of the most important items a boater needs: a life jacket. Kristoffer Diel, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Northlake Flotilla 04-02, said a large portion of drowning deaths occur when the victim is not wearing a life jacket.

“The life jacket is definitely the biggest thing,” said Diel. “The percentage of drowning victims is somewhere between 80 to 90 percent.”

Diel’s statement is backed up by statistics from the National Safe Boating Council. In 2007, the council reported that over two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, 90 percent were not wearing a life jacket. In addition, only 14 percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had received boating safety instruction.

On May 16, Diel will join other auxiliary members on the Mandeville lakefront for a number of safety demonstrations, including the use of emergency flares, and free vessel safety checks. In addition, members of St. Tammany Fire District 4 will be on hand to demonstrate the proper use of a fire extinguisher, one of 15 required items in a vessel safety check.

Vessel safety checks can help boaters learn about problems that might be a violation of state or federal laws.

They can be conducted on any type of watercraft to determine if it is water-worthy and also help educate the public with additional safety tips that could eliminate preventable dangers. Those who pass are given a decal to indicate they meet the criteria. A different color sticker is issued each year.

“If you have this year’s sticker, you won’t get boarded by law enforcement,” said Diel, “unless you have a beer in your hand or a naked person on board.”

In Slidell, members of Flotilla 04-08 will conduct vessel safety checks at Heritage Park on May 16 and 17 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Rigolets Marina on May 16 from 8 a.m. to noon, and at the Dock, off Lakeview Drive, on May 16 and 17 beginning at 8 a.m.

Joining the efforts will be the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. All boaters are required to register their vessels with the agency, which is responsible for enforcement of DWI laws, among others, on the water.

“We also investigate accidents involving recreational vessels, perform search and rescue for stranded boaters, and teach free boating safety courses,” said Senior Agent Richard Clark.

The agency will offer two boating safety courses this month, open to students age 10 or older. The courses will take place on May 23 at the Fire District 11 station house on Pine Street in Pearl River and on May 24 at Academy Sports, 61107 Airport Road in Slidell. Both courses will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information on National Safe Boating Week, visit www.safeboatingcampaign.com. To find out more about free vessel safety checks and additional resources from the Coast Guard, go to www.uscgboating.org, or for Wildlife and Fisheries information go to the Web site, www.wlf.louisiana.gov/boating/courses/.