Australia Day looms as a busy period on the water as many people traditionally make the most of the public holiday by taking their boats out.
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The upcoming public holiday and summer period, in general, is also the perfect time to remind people about the basics when it comes to boating safety, according to Marine Rescue NSW's Ulladulla Unit Commander David Hall.
The commander outlined some of the rescues he has been involved with to highlight some of the most common problems which get boaters into trouble.
In a timely reminder about boating safety he said how the basics, like wearing a lifejacket, can save lives.
He recalled the 2018 incident when Martin Field was rescued after his boat sank at Burrill Rocks.
He became stranded at sea for several hours after his boat overturned off Burrill Lake and owes his life to three things: wearing a lifejacket, letting Marine Rescue know where he was going and when he was due to return, and the efficient work of our volunteers who instigated the search.
"He got busted up there and broke a couple of ribs and then he swam towards the shore," Mr Hall recalled.
"Martin was picked up as he was swimming towards shore and he spent a couple of weeks in hospital.
"He [Martin] did all the right things - he logged on with us and so we knew he was missing.
"His boat sank out from underneath him before he had the chance to ask for help.
"He had his life jacket on which saved his life."
Mr Hall cannot stress the importance of wearing a lifejacket enough.
"Lifejackets today are quite easy to wear - they are inflatable and you don't notice you are wearing one," he said.
"It's a compliance thing and people don't think that it [an incident] can happen to them," he added in regard to lifejackets.
Mr Hall's comments are a timely reminder after a man died after a boat capsized off Waniora Point in Bulli in November.
Mr Hall recalled another rescue: "I went to a sunken vessel and those on board did not have their lifejackets on and the boat started to sink and the skipper went to the front of the boat and it just went down," Mr Hall said.
"He [the skipper] was caught in a pocket of air in the front of the boat amongst a heap of fishing lines and hooks.
"The boat went down and slowly came up to the surface and the skipper was trapped.
"They did not have their lifejackets on and if they had lifejackets on they could have easily jumped overboard and been picked up."
He can't help but shake his head sometimes.
"Running out of fuel is another thing easily avoided and so fill you tank up and carry a spare tank of fuel are ways to avoid being stranded," the commander said.
Logging on and off with marine rescue is also important and something Mr Hall would like to stress.
"We take a rough estimate of the vessels that are going out to sea and usually I would say 20 percent of the vessels log on - the rest don't," he said.
"Some people are shy and others are over confident
"The benefit is if they log on then we know when they are due back. If they don't contact us we then cannot contact them at that specific time then we go out looking for them."
Things he wants to stress, log on with marine rescue wear your lifejackets.
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