Port Macquarie Marine Rescue Unit the busiest on the Mid North Coast

The team of 220 volunteers have completed 80 rescues over the past 12 months, the highest number for one unit across the Mid North Coast.

Unit commander Greg Davies said the majority of their calls are because of engine problems.

"In the Port Macquarie area, most of our local boaties are good and log on with Marine Rescue when they head out on their boat," he said.

"It's mostly people who are on holiday and haven't used their boat for 12 months and have bad fuel or poor servicing of their vessel that find themselves in trouble."

Mr Davies said there are a high number of people who don't check their vessel before heading out on the water.

"They go out thinking everything is alright and then they run into trouble and we get called out to go and get them," he said.

Mr Davies estimates around 90 per cent of the unit's call outs are because of poor service or engine problems, while the remaining 10 per cent are injuries out on the water.

"We do a lot of training and the training team comes up with a number of scenarios that the crew and radio base don't know about," he said.

"We're always challenging ourselves and keeping our skills up so that when our crew get called to a real rescue it's just second nature."

Across the state, Marine Rescue NSW has had its second busiest 12 month period with 3905 rescues safely delivering 8599 people to shore.

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke congratulated Marine Rescue NSW volunteers for their outstanding efforts.

"One third of the rescues conducted in the last financial year were for life-threatening emergencies, sometimes in the worst of weather and sea conditions and at the dead of night," Ms Cooke said.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank our volunteers whose skill, bravery and dedication saves lives on the water and helps keep our state's waterways safe."

Mr Davies said it's because of the community that the unit is able to continue to assist those out on the water.

"We're not government funded. The fundraisers that we hold throughout the year funds the work we do and is the backbone of our unit," he said.

"We have great community support and that allows us to be out on the water protecting people."