Marine Rescue units across the South Coast have had a busy month responding to calls for assistance out on the water.
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Across the seven Illawarra units there were 33 search and rescue missions during November.
The locations of the highest number of calls for assistance were Port Kembla with 15, Shoalhaven with seven rescues, Jervis Bay had four and Ulladulla had three.
Across the eight Monaro units there were 19 search and rescue missions over the past month.
Batemans Bay had seven rescues, there were four rescues in Tuross Moruya and Merimbula also responded to four calls for assistance.
Marine Rescue NSW Commissioner Alex Barrell said 69 per cent of missions in November were for mechanical or fuel issues which can quickly become life-threatening if a vessel runs aground or overturns.
"Unfortunately, what we've seen during November is that far too many boaters are getting into difficulty for what we class as avoidable incidents, things like running out of fuel and flat batteries and that's really disappointing from our side of things," he said.
Across the state, Marine Rescue volunteers completed 293 search and rescue missions in November, including 88 emergency responses.
With large numbers expected to hit NSW waterways this holiday season, Commissioner Barrell is pleading with boaters to ensure their vessel and safety equipment is in good working order.
"Marine Rescue New South Wales is urging all boaters before they head out on the water to make sure that they check their equipment, make sure that they've got enough fuel for their voyage and importantly, they log on with their local Marine Rescue base," he said.
Almost 10 per cent of responses by Marine Rescue volunteers last month were for capsized or grounded vessels.
There were also 11 missing persons searches.
Commissioner Barrell said boaters and paddlers can log on with Marine Rescue NSW either via the free Marine Rescue app or VHF Marine Channel 16.
"It's a minute to log on with Marine Rescue, a lifetime to protect and we urge all boaters to boat this summer like your life depends on it," he said.
