A 70-year-old man who caught a ferry back to Nelson Bay when his boat broke down had no idea authorities had commenced a search and rescue operation after finding the vessel semi-submerged on Jimmys Beach.
The incident occurred on Sunday during a statewide boating safety compliance blitz, which included an increased presence of Maritime NSW officials in Port Stephens.
Concerns for the man's safety were raised after he could not be contacted following the discovery of his boat.
Believed missing, authorities launched a land, air and on-water search.
Several hours later the man, who has a heart condition, was found alive and well.
He revealed that after his boat broke down and drifted onto Jimmys Beach, he had walked to Tea Gardens, caught a ferry to Nelson Bay and then walked to Shoal Bay to pick up his car and trailer in order to drive back and recover the boat.
The safety blitz, which was focused on reducing the number of serious incidents on NSW waterways, resulted in an 89.4 per cent compliance rate in the Hunter.
Maritime NSW boating safety officers issued 10 penalty notices and 18 official cautions from 260 vessel and licence inspections.
There has been 18 fatalities on NSW waterways in 2019/20, double the amount from this time last year.
