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The Coast Guard Auxiliary Marine Safety program is designed to facilitate and encourage Auxiliary support for Coast Guard Sectors in the legacy Marine Safety and Environmental Protection Programs. The program develops, in conjunction with Coast Guard Headquarters program managers and TRACEN Yorktown, Auxiliary specific qualifications in these programs. The Auxiliary qualifications mirror those of the Active Duty – minus any law enforcement or military activities.

All Marine Safety programs open to Auxiliarists are based on the needs of the individual Sector. If a Sector has no need of Auxiliary support in a particular program area, it is not available to Auxiliarists in that area.


There are four Divisions in the Prevention Department devoted to the Marine Safety program:

Commercial Vessel Activities

• Inspected Commercial Vessels
• Foreign Flagged Vessels
• Domestic Vessels (i.e. T-Boat, K-Boat, Passenger, Cargo, Tanker)
• Uninspected Vessel Activities
• Uninspected Passenger Vessels
• Uninspected Tow Vessels
• Commercial Fishing Vessels

Port and Facility Activities

• Container Inspections
• Marine Safety oriented MOM Patrols
• Regional Exam Center Support
• Waterways Management

Prevention Outreach

• America's Waterway Watch
• Sea Partners
• Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Resources:
• Living Marine Mammals Resources:
• Good Mate Program

Communication and Education

• Marine Safety Ribbon
• Trident (Auxiliary Marine Safety) Training Program
• Auxiliary Marine Safety (Trident) Device
• Marine Safety Grant Support

The following are some highlights of what Division 6 Auxiliary membersdo in the Monterey Bay area:

• Flotilla Monterey 6-4 and Division 6 members participate in outreach at Monterey Whalefest in late January.
• In 2019, in coordination with the California Coastal Commission, Flotilla Monterey is planning to offer Dockwalkers training to Auxiliary members to help them educate and assist recreational boaters in learning clean, environmentally sustainable practices on the water. Dockwalkers also provide clean boating kits to mariners upon request.
• Whenever possible, Division 6 members attend the quarterly meetings of the Central Coast Sub-committee for Disaster Preparedness along with other local agencies and active duty Coast Guard members from Sector San Francisco.
• Flotilla Monterey 6-4 members Keith Simmons, Rob Jackson and others regularly perform cleanups of fishing line, hooks, and other trash at the local Coast Guard pier while also educating the public about the importance of picking up their trash and not leaving hooks, lures, plastic line, etc. as hazards on the pier and in the ocean.
• When flying patrols along the coast, local Auxiliary aviators keep a lookout to ensure that the boundaries of the National Marine Sanctuary and other protected marine areas are respected, and that activities within these areas adhere to established laws and guidelines. Aviators on patrol also watch for whales and other wildlife in distress and submit reports to NOAA after each flight.
• Monterey 6-4 members based in Morro Bay, Ray David and Tom Stead, are available for Commercial Fishing Vessel Examinations (CFVEs) and Uninspected Passenger Vessel Examiners (UPVs) upon request.
• Division 6 members participate in the annual Coastal Cleanup, a world-wide event held in mid-September.

Coastal Cleanup 2018 On the USCG pier, from left to right: Rob Jackson, Alex Urciuoli, Keith Simmons. (Photo by a polite member of the public)

Monterey Whalefest 2018 From left to right: Alex Urciuoli, Michael Goldberg, Jerry Edelen, and Tony Budlong. (Photo by Letty Sloma, professional photographer)