‘She’ll be right’ won’t cut it, Marine Rescue warns boaters
By Tim Howard
Marine Rescue urges boaters to prepare carefully after crews brought 899 people safely ashore across two coastal regions.
Marine Rescue urges boaters to prepare carefully after crews brought 899 people safely ashore across two coastal regions.
A “she’ll be right” attitude to boating safety has been blamed for many potentially preventable emergencies, with Marine Rescue crews responding to more than 400 incidents across the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast last boating season.
As the 2026-27 boating season begins on Thursday, Marine Rescue NSW Commissioner Todd Andrews has warned that engine and battery failures and running out of fuel account for almost 60% of the organisation’s responses.
The warning comes after Northern Rivers volunteers carried out 204 search and rescue missions during the 2025-26 boating season, including 117 emergency responses, returning 451 people safely to shore.
On the Mid North Coast there were another 229 search and rescue missions, including 109 emergency responses, with 448 people returned safely to shore.
Combined, volunteers across the two regions undertook 433 search and rescue missions, 226 of them emergency responses, and brought 899 people safely ashore.
Commissioner Andrews said some of the incidents Marine Rescue crews attended could have been avoided with basic preparation before leaving the boat ramp.
“The ‘she’ll be right’ attitude doesn’t cut it when you’re stranded 20 nautical miles offshore in deteriorating weather conditions because you used old fuel or didn’t check your battery,” he said.
“Don’t be that person.”
With a warm start to spring following the second-busiest winter in Marine Rescue NSW history, Commissioner Andrews expects volunteers to again be in high demand as more boats return to the water.
He urged skippers whose vessels had seen little use over winter to check them thoroughly before launching.
“Before you launch, service your boat, check your battery, inspect your safety equipment, make sure you have enough fuel to complete your trip with some in reserve, and check and monitor the weather,” he said.
“Poor preparation can turn a great day on the water into a life-threatening incident, and many of the problems we respond to are preventable.”
There will be 415 Marine Rescue volunteers ready for the season across the Northern Rivers, covering units at Point Danger, Brunswick, Cape Byron, Ballina, Evans Head, Iluka Yamba and Wooli.
Another 660 volunteers will be available across the Mid North Coast, including units at Woolgoolga, Coffs Harbour, Nambucca, Trial Bay, Lord Howe Island, Port Macquarie, Camden Haven, Crowdy Harrington and Forster Tuncurry.
Almost 3400 Marine Rescue NSW volunteers will be on call statewide during the boating season, which runs until Anzac Day 2027.
Last season they completed 3147 search and rescue missions, including 876 emergency responses, and returned 7059 people safely to shore.
Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib also urged boaters to log on with Marine Rescue NSW before every trip, whether heading offshore, fishing in an estuary or using an inland waterway.
“The start of the new boating season is a timely reminder that preparation can prevent a lovely day on the water from becoming an emergency,” Mr Dib said.
“Marine Rescue NSW volunteers are ready around the clock to respond when boaters need help, but everyone who takes to the water has a responsibility to make safety their priority.”
