Marine Rescue Central Coast and Hunter units carried out more than 200 search and rescue missions in January.
A total of 215 missions included just under 40 emergency responses, with 500 people safely returned to shore.
The Lake Macquarie area was in highest demand with 106 callouts, followed by the Central Coast with 40 and Port Stephens with 39.
Volunteers from Marine Rescue NSW’s 46 units across the state completed 703 search and rescue missions in January, safely returning 1,788 people to shore.
Marine Rescue NSW Commissioner Alex Barrell has called for continued vigilance from boaters with the boating season continuing until Anzac Day.
“Summer is far from over at the moment; our message to boaters is to make sure that they don’t get complacent, that they keep safety front of mind and they make the right decisions before they go boating on the state’s waterways,” he said.
Central Coast Unity Commander Ian Morrow is encouraging boaters to always check equipment and conditions, with 10 per cent of incidents in January for capsized or grounded vessels.
“Waterways are great places to be but it is important that you check the conditions and your equipment, not once but twice, make sure that you have everything you need and that you keep safety front of mind,” he said.
“What we’ve seen over recent weeks and months is unstable weather conditions.
“It may be good at one point in the day, but it suddenly changes, that is why it is important that you check the conditions.
“Whether you’re boating or rock fishing, anytime you are around that coastal environment, it is really important that you continually check the weather.”
Marine Rescue NSW radio operators managed 26,047 radio calls last month including 18 MAYDAYs and 11 PAN PANs while the Service’s volunteers kept watch over 32,256 people on board vessels that logged on with Marine Rescue NSW either via the free Marine Rescue app or VHF channel 16.