Marine Rescue NSW is asking those planning to hit waterways in the Hunter Central Coast region this holiday season to boat or paddle like their life depends on it.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Steve Raymond is urging boaters to approach crossing bars with caution.
“The main bar is at Lake Macquarie at the entrance to the lake,” he said.
“It can be very changeable; the outgoing tide towards the lower part of that tide with the normal northeasterly breeze which we get during Summer can make the bar stand up quite high and become quite rough.
“You could go out in the morning with a high tide with very little breeze and be as calm as anything but by late afternoon with the northeasterly wind coming in and the lowering tide, you could be in great danger.
“We also have part of a bar at Port Stephens, it’s called the washing machine and it can get very rough in different conditions.
“In any area off the coast conditions can change quickly, especially with the northeasterly coming in during the afternoon and during Summer with the southerly changes coming through.
“Conditions can change very quickly and you can find yourself getting caught out.”
Boaters looking to cross a bar should stand off, check the conditions and then decide whether it is safe to proceed.
Capsized vessels can lead to life-threatening emergencies and Inspector Raymond said boaters and paddlers should always wear a lifejacket and remember some key actions should they find themselves in the water.
“Hopefully you’ve got your lifejacket on to start with,” he said.
“If you capsize and you haven’t got them (lifejackets) the first thing you would be doing is trying to get your lifejackets out of your vessel.
“If you can, get your safety equipment – which is your flares or radio – so you can let people know that you’re in trouble.
“Stay with your vessel and you can get in contact with Marine Rescue NSW on your VHF radio; a lot of phones are waterproof and you can still ring triple zero (000).
“If you’ve logged on with Marine Rescue, when you go overdue we will start looking for you and if you have had the app running we will know where you are and we can come and get you.”
Boaters and paddlers are encouraged to log on with Marine Rescue NSW via the Marine Rescue app or VHF Channel 16 every time they head out on the water with paddlers more vulnerable to minor changes in conditions.