A DHS advisory issued Thursday followed news that a group of organizers in South Florida planned to launch a flotilla, or fleet of ships, next week to demonstrate their support for the ongoing anti-government protests in Cuba.

However, the DHS reminded Floridians that it "is illegal for boaters to depart from the U.S. with the intent of transiting to Cuba for any purpose without a permit," adding that the "waters in the Florida Straits are unpredictable and dangerous."

"The Coast Guard urges South Florida recreational boaters considering transiting toward Cuban territorial waters to "not take to the sea,'" the department said in a press release announcing the advisory.