A SKIPPER has been rescued from the water after his boat flipped in large waves off the Lake Macquarie coast on Sunday.
Marine Rescue NSW radio operators received a call from the boater in distress off Hams Beach, near Swansea Heads, just before 7am on October 27.
The police force's Marine Area Command, Surf Life Saving NSW, Marine Rescue NSW crews and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter were alerted and leapt into action.
Life savers managed to get to the man and help him before he was transferred on board Marine Rescue NSW vessel Lake Macquarie 31.
"The Marine Rescue NSW crew righted the capsized four-to-five-metre boat which was located approximately 300 metres off Hams Beach," Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Courtney Greenslade said.
"It appears as though the vessel was hit by a larger swell set which rolled the boat, throwing the skipper into the water."
The man was wearing a life jacket at the time, and rescue crews said it was a timely reminder to always have one on while out on the water.
'They can only save you if you're wearing it," Inspector Greenslade said.
The stricken vessel was a navigational hazard so was secured and towed by the Lake Macquarie 31 crew to the Swansea boat ramp.
The skipper was also safely returned to shore at the Swansea boat ramp.
