Honolulu will be the site of the 2008 Drowning Prevention and Ocean Safety Conference, set for March 20 at the Queen's Conference Center on the grounds of The Queen's Medical Center.

Ocean safety and injury prevention experts from across the state and nation will discuss lifeguard organization issues, automated external defibrillators and the nationally recognized Junior Lifeguard program.

"We are delighted that Honolulu will be hosting this year's conference," Mayor Mufi Hannemann said in a news release. "It provides an opportunity for lifeguards throughout the Islands and the rest of the country to see why the city's Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division is respected worldwide."

Ocean safety personnel from O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i and Hawai'i counties as well as ocean lifeguards from San Diego and Los Angeles counties, will attend.

Representatives from the state Department of Health's Injury Prevention and Control Program and the Department of Land and Natural Resources will present agency reports and provide program updates.

Registration information is available at www.honolulu.gov/esd/oceansafety. Cost is $40, which includes continental breakfast and lunch.