JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Most people know about the dangers of driving drunk. Now, there's an effort to make it clear that boating drunk can be just as dangerous.

The Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies around north Florida are joining forces with a crackdown on intoxicated boaters, hoping to prevent tragedies.

Starting Friday, the Coast Guard, as well as many other agencies, will be participating in Operation Dry Water.

They'll have extra officers on the water, enforcing BUI, or Boating Under the Influence.

Florida leads the nation in boating-related deaths, but officers said sadly, many people aren't aware of the facts.

"Unfortunately, the word hasn't gotten out quite as well about boating under the influence, as it has about driving under the influence," Lt. John Conboy said. "Just trying to have a little more surge out there, get people to know about that."

"Most of the serious boating accidents that we do see, common factors do seem to be alcohol," Capt. Anthony Popiel said.

Officers said getting a BUI can result in fines, jail time or losing your boating privileges, or even your driving privileges.

In a boating collision Easter Sunday along the Intracoastal, five people died, and investigators found all of them had alcohol in their systems. Nine other people were injured.

Investigators are still trying to determine for certain who was driving the boat when it crashed into a tugboat.