Federal and state officials will take impaired-driving checkpoints to the sea this weekend, patrolling waters around Oahu to remind boaters about the dangers of operating a boat while intoxicated and to cite those who do.

Members of the Coast Guard, along with Honolulu Harbor Police and representatives from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, will participate in Operation Dry Water.

"We’re going to be doing the patrols to make sure people are aware of the hazards of boating. We want everyone to go out and enjoy their weekends and if they choose to drink, do so responsibly," Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Scott said at a news conference Friday.

He said Ahu O Laka, better known as the Kaneohe Bay sandbar, and waters off Waikiki Beach are two areas where boaters should expect to see the most patrolling.

Operation Dry Water, a nationwide initiative, was launched in 2009 by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, a nonprofit organization that helps develop public policy on boating safety. This year, all 50 states and six U.S. territories are participating in the program, which began Friday and runs through Sunday.

This is the second year that the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu and DLNR are participating in the operation, said Petty Officer 1st Class Ekahi Lee.

In 2011, no arrests were made in Hawaiian waters. In the past five years, Hawaii has had zero alcohol-related boating deaths, officials said, but there were 778 such deaths nationally in that period.

There are about 16,000 vessels registered in Hawaii, Lee said.

"Together we want to catch the problem on the water before it makes its way to land," he said, referring to the 2011 Memorial Day fight that broke out between two men, 28 and 26, at Heeia Kea Pier in Kaneohe, resulting in the death of the 26-year-old.

The legal limit for operating a boat is a 0.08 blood alcohol content — the same as for driving a car.

If found to have a blood alcohol content higher than the legal limit, a boat operator could be cited for boating under the influence and face possible arrest, Scott said.

In addition to looking for boaters who are under the influence, Lee said officials will be conducting random safety inspections on boats.

Officials will check to see that boats have Coast Guard-approved life jackets for everyone aboard, a current boating license for the operator and registration numbers for the boat, among other things.

"Safety is our big push. There is a safe way to have fun and that’s all we are trying to let people know though this operation," Scott said.