Each year there is a spike in drowning incidents around the public holiday, meaning the full force of beach rescuers will be on hand at the region's beaches.

A surf life saver and former captain of the Wollongong City club, Ms Fox recounted last year's incidents and said she hopes there are no serious call-outs this time.

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"Last year, I just happened to be down at the beach training with my sister and best friend at 7am when two people got catastrophically caught in a rip," she said.

"The three of us went into action and conducted a pretty serious rescue. At one point we lost one of the patients under water for a brief period of time, we couldn't find her."

When Ms Fox finally found her, the rescued pair were taken to the shore.

"And the same day about 7.30pm that night we had another after hours rescue," she said.

Ms Fox who was the first female club captain of her club said the after hours rescue team remains on standby on the Australia Day holiday.

"We have volunteer life savers around the community on call-out lists," she said.

"If after hours rescue is alerted then community volunteers are contacted immediately."

According to Surf Life Saving NSW, there were 815 rescues over the four days around January 26 in 2021 and five times drowning fatalities over the same period.

The Wollongong community's love for its beaches, Ms Fox said, is reflected in the large number of beachgoers on the national holiday.

"I want everyone to have a lovely Australia Day but also be mindful that we all want to go home happy and healthy," she said.

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The patrol captain will be on Wollongong beach this Thursday ensuring people remain safe on the ground as well as the water.

"There's no two ways about it- if there's no flags no swims," Ms Fox said.

"Lifesavers and lifeguards are there to help you swim in safe places so listen to the people in red and yellow."

As the captain of the emergency-response call out team, Ms Fox was named the Illawarra, NSW and Australian Life Saver of the Year last year for her outstanding work and commitment to the community.

Despite being born deaf and not being able to wear her hearing aids in water, Ms Fox completes her rescues with skilful perfection, not letting her disability hold her back but rather using it to promote inclusivity.

Ms Fox's recent accolade presented by the Wollongong City Council is a welcome addition to her long list of achievements.

"Winning the award was very exciting - there are a lot of people in the community and in my circle who help me do what I do and I really appreciate that," Ms Fox said.

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