IF there is any organization Hawaii's recreational boaters depend on for their safety more than the U.S. Coast Guard and its Auxiliary, I can't think of it.

These agencies' search and rescue operations that help local vessels in distress seem to make the headlines on a weekly basis, so it's a bit of a role reversal to learn they are now asking for help from boaters.

According to the Coast Guard's Public Affairs staff, they are launching a renewed effort to encourage recreational boaters, as well as others who live, work, or play along the waterfront, to become involved in its America's Waterway Watch program.

“;The enemy this nation faces today is unlike any other in our history,”; the Coast Guard notes. And with more than 95,000 miles of shoreline in the U.S. (1,052 miles in Hawaii alone), it and local first responders cannot do the job alone.

The AWW program was originally established shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 with the goal of creating a nationwide organization similar to the familiar Neighborhood Watch program that asks the citizens of a community to report suspicious activities to local law enforcement agencies.

Unlike the Neighborhood Watch program, the AWW does not require volunteers to formally join an organization, attend meetings or become an agent of the Coast Guard or any other law enforcement agency.

Rather, participants in the program, as people who can recognize what is normal or abnormal in and around our ports, docks, marinas, beaches and waterfront communities, are asked “;to develop a heightened sense of sensitivity toward unusual or suspicious events or individuals they may encounter.”;

AWW participants must then, “;be prepared to report events such as people entering our country illegally, (or) people preparing to attack our critical infrastructure.”;

The Coast Guard points to a number of activities that should provide possible clues to such terrorist behavior. People who appear to be engaged in surveillance by taking notes, taking pictures or videos, making sketches, or asking questions about any potential target heads the list.

Boaters involved in the AWW program should also be aware of unattended vessels in unusual locations, or those with an unusual number of people aboard. And boats doing unlikely night operations or flashing their lights at each other should also be causes for suspicion.

Boat operators recovering or tossing items into a waterway or shoreline should be regarded as suspicious, as well as those transferring people or packages to or from ships offshore.

Ultimately, the Coast Guard says, AWW volunteers must “;always remember that people are not suspicious, behavior is. And if (they) observe suspicious behavior or activity, (they) should simply note the details and contact local law enforcement.”;

Suspicious activities may also be reported to the National Response Center at 877-24WATCH, but if there appears to be immediate danger to life or property, observers should call 911 or the Coast Guard on Marine Radio Channel 16.

Boaters interested in learning more about the AWW program should visit its dedicated Web site at www.americaswaterwaywatch.org.