MARINE Rescue NSW volunteers were involved in 252 rescue missions in May, returning 398 people safely to shore, with fifteen rescues in the Port Stephens zone.

Marine Rescue NSW Commissioner Alex Barrell said volunteers were kept busy assisting boaters on the state’s waterways.

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“Despite heading into the cooler months our units right across the state have seen a large number of rescues, over 250 in May alone.

“It is a reminder for boaters how important it is that they check their equipment before they get out on the water and that they take all the right safety precautions,” he said.

Commissioner Barrell said 57 percent of rescue missions in May were a result of mechanical issues.

“Disappointingly many of the incidents were avoidable like running out of fuel, flat batteries and mechanical/engine issues,” he said.

38 percent of the rescue missions were emergency responses and Commissioner Barrell said with the change in season certain situations could become life-threatening for boaters.

“When boaters break down and become disabled in the colder water, it does increase the risk of an incident becoming more serious.

“With so many rescues seen through May we are urging boaters to make sure that they do check the conditions before they head out and that they check their vessel,” he said.

The Lake Macquarie Unit on the Hunter/Central Coast was the busiest in May with 44 rescues while volunteers at Botany Port Hacking completed nineteen.

Marine Rescue NSW radio operators managed 18,266 radio calls over the month with a large portion answered by the Marine Rescue Sydney State Communications Centre.

Ten of those calls were MAYDAYs where lives were in imminent danger.

Commissioner Barrell praised the 5,497 boaters who Logged On and Logged Off with Marine Rescue NSW.

“Through May we saw just under five-and-a-half thousand Log Ons and Log Offs over our free Marine Rescue app or over the VHF marine radio.

“It is so important that boaters take the opportunity and take advantage of our service to Log On because we know it saves lives and if you do breakdown and don’t return as planned rescue crews will start looking for you,” Commissioner Barrell said.

Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.