Port Fairy Marine Rescue Service member Russell Lemke said the perfect weather gave recreational fishers and beach lovers the perfect opportunity to get out on the water.

However, he said it was incredibly dangerous not to be prepared.

"The duty phone was running hot at one stage as we just finished attending one emergency; the phone rang again with another call for assistance," Mr Lemke said.

"In 12 hours from Friday night to Saturday afternoon we attended three emergency calls, rescuing seven people - (there's been) 16 rescued since January."

Mr Lemke said volunteers spent three hours in the dark of night on Friday looking for a man on a small vessel who had no safety equipment other than a phone with a low battery and some flares.

"He was disorientated and adrift, he did not know the area well and could not give us any coordinates as to where he was," he said.

"We managed to find him after tracking from his first reported position along a course that he would most likely drift toward.

"The keen-eyed observers on Rescue 202 managed to pick out his anchor light and we honed in onto his position, but not before traveling some considerable distance to a false coordinate that he gave us searching the dark.

"He was many kilometres from where he had started and I think extremely relieved to see us approach."

Mr Lemke said the man was lucky to be found.

"This chap is extremely lucky we found him," he said.

"He was in a very bad place to be - a very small boat in a big sea unable to indicate his location and attract our attention."

Mr Lemke said volunteers often found mariners who were ill prepared.

"Marine Rescue advocate that every vessel going to sea should have a safety plan in place, should let someone know where they are going and when they expect to return.

"They should have someone on land looking after their safety able to raise the alarm if they don't return on time.

"They should carry essential safety equipment, a beacon, flares and a radio as a minimal and practice using these systems.

"Log onto a shore station with your radio, let them know how many on board, where you intend to go and when you intend to return.

"Let them know your vessel registration, description of the vessel and contact phone numbers to contact. All of these things help us save you in an emergency."

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