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Virtually every local, county and state agency plans extra patrols this weekend.
The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is not planning traffic checkpoints but will beef up its traffic and water patrols with additional deputies throughout the weekend, Sheriff P.J. Tanner said.
"It looks like it will be a nice weekend," he said. "For long holiday weekends, we always plan for the worst and hope for the best."
Temperatures are expected to hover around 90 degrees through the weekend in Beaufort County, and there is little chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service in Charleston.
To keep area waters safer, S.C. Department of Natural Resources officers will conduct boat inspections Sunday and Monday on Lemon and Pinckney islands, said Sgt. Michael Paul Thomas.
Officers will check for licenses and safety equipment, such as life jackets and fire extinguishers. They also will make sure boat operators are sober and distribute safety pamphlets on drinking-and-boating regulations, he said.
"We want to make sure people know they should have a designated sober operator," Thomas said.
Sheriff's Office patrol boats will assist DNR officers in northern and southern county waters, Tanner said.
On the May River, a Bluffton Police boat with a DNR-certified officer will be on the lookout for boating violations and provide emergency response support, said Chief David McAllister.
"We expect it to be a busy weekend on the river," McAllister said, "and it's a good sand-bar weekend because low tide is supposed to fall mid-day over the weekend."
In northern Beaufort County, Lady's Island-St. Helena Fire District crews will help patrol Hunting Island State Park on ATVs Friday through Sunday at the request of park rangers, according to district spokesman Lee Levesque. The district also will have crews with jet skis in the area to assist if needed, he said.
"There will be trained professionals with medical equipment on duty," Levesque said. "We have our bases covered."
On the roads, expect more police officers, deputies and troopers -- law enforcement agencies in the Carolinas and Georgia will be participating in a nationwide effort to catch drunken drivers.
