The dredging of Swansea channel has contributed to a significant drop in the number of calls for help to Marine Rescue NSW over the Christmas-New Year period, the organisation's Lake Macquarie commander Jim Wright says.
The Lake Macquarie team has responded to about 15 requests for assistance in the past week.
Mr Wright said this was much lower than during the same period in recent years - this time last year, the crew received 14 calls in one day.
While the jobs could be for minor issues, such as a boat with a flat battery needing to be towed, paramedics have been called for a couple of cases this holiday season.
A woman was taken to hospital on New Year's Day after she fell while on a vessel and dislocated her shoulder.
Meanwhile, a skipper suffered cuts to his face last week when a boat - which had departed from Wangi Wangi - hit a sandbank at high speed and threw those aboard forward.
"All up, compared to the last couple of years, it's been pretty good on the lake," Mr Wright told the Newcastle Herald.
"The weather hasn't been that flash but there are a lot of boats on the lake and very few incidents we've had to get involved in."
Despite the drop in call-outs, Mr Wright said the number of boats on the lake remained on par with the average amount of water traffic in the area for this time of year.
When asked whether dredging of the Swansea channel had contributed to the drop in the number of calls for help this festive season, he said: "hell yeah".
"We're getting yachts from Sydney able to get into the lake without running aground," he said.
"It's great to see the big boats coming in from Sydney, up the channel and spending time on our beautiful lake."
Mr Wright said he expected a dip in boatie activity over the next few weeks until it picked up again for the Australia Day long-weekend.
Anyone heading onto the water is encouraged to log on with Marine Rescue NSW through VHF channel 16 or on the free Marine Rescue smart phone app.
