The Kauai Ocean Safety Awareness Conference will be held Friday at the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort, the county said today in a news release.

The event, aimed at workers in the visitor industry, will be from 8 a.m. to 4 pm. It costs $25 and includes a continental breakfast and lunch.

"Our main purpose for having the conference is to reduce the number of drownings on Kaua'i," said Kalani Vierra, Kauai Fire Department Ocean Safety Bureau supervisor. "We want to educate people, especially those who work in the visitor industry, on how they can assist with promoting ocean safety within their businesses."

Participants will have the opportunity to learn about ocean safety and education programs on Kauai that are designed to help keep island visitors safe and happy, and the important role everyone plays in this effort.

Featured speakers include Chuck Blay, a geoscientist and founder of The Edge of Kauai; Captain Barry Compagnoni of the U.S. Coast Guard; Dr. Monty Downs, an emergency physician at Wilcox Hospital; Pat Durkin of the WAVE Project; and Ralph Goto of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association.

For more information, please contact the Ocean Safety Bureau at 241-4984 or oceansafety@kauai.gov.