Harbor Patrol offers tips to navigate busy Labor Day weekend on the water

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.- Labor Day, Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends are the busiest boating weekends of the year and sometimes tragedies occur.

This coming weekend marks the anniversary of the deadly Conception dive boat fire that happened on Sept. 2, 2019.

There is a memorial at the end of the Santa Barbara break wall honoring the victims.

Labor Day weekend also marks the anniversary of the 2017 'Microburst' storm that injured a teenager on West Beach.

Lt. Nathan Alldredge with the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol remembers them all, and a July incident that led to the accidental drowning of a young man who rented a Stand Up Paddle board.

Alldredge wants people to be able to celebrate the end of summer on the water with safety in mind.

In addition to having a life jacket that you know how to use, he recommends having a "Float Plan."

"We always encourage people to file a float plan if they go out on the water, you know, let people know where you are going ahead of time. It could look nice and warm with not a lot of wind when you are setting out here but you get out in the main channel you could have wind or swells or other conditions that you may not be prepared for."

Alldredge said cell phones don't always work off shore.

He recommends boaters have a marine radio. They monitor channel 16.

They also work with the Coast Guard during this maximum enforcement period when all hands are on deck working to make it a safe holiday weekend.

Another option is to plan ahead and book a charter or hop on The Land Shark that offers 90 minute land and sea tours daily. (www.out2seeSB.com)

There is a safe boating campaign led by the National Safe Boating Council that offers tips for boaters, especially when there is boating-traffic.

For a link to more boating safety tips visit www.safeboatingcampaign.com.