Marine Rescue Jervis Bay and Marine Rescue Alpine Lakes came together at Lake Jindabyne over the weekend of December 13 for an inter-unit training exercise designed to strengthen operational capability and interoperability between coastal and inland Marine Rescue NSW units.

The exercise forms the second phase of a two-part collaboration initiative, following the inaugural Unit Connect Day held at Jervis Bay the previous weekend, and focuses on the unique demands of search and rescue operations on alpine waterways.

The Lake Jindabyne exercise involved up to four inland and alpine-specific search and rescue scenarios, including man overboard drills, vessels and persons in distress, structured searches, rescues and recoveries, and towing operations at multiple locations around the lake.

Training manikins were used to replicate realistic conditions, with two Marine Rescue Alpine Lakes vessels operating alongside two Marine Rescue NSW rescue watercraft (jet skis). The Monaro Police District supported the activity, with a NSW Police vessel providing on-water safety throughout the exercise.

Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Glenn Sullivan said the Alpine Lakes phase was critical in giving coastal volunteers practical experience in an environment that presents very different challenges.

“The purpose of the Lake Jindabyne exercise was to have inter-unit training between Jervis Bay and Alpine Lakes,” Inspector Sullivan said.

“Last weekend we had inland water operators going down to the coast, and this weekend we’ve had people coming from the coast up onto the alpine waters.

They’ve been working with the rescue watercraft operators from Jervis Bay and are now practising simulated survivor recoveries and learning how to best handle jet skis on alpine waters. Having that shared experience between inland and coastal waters is integral to what we’re trying to achieve for Marine Rescue NSW statewide.”

Inspector Sullivan said the varying conditions faced at Lake Jindabyne reinforced the importance of regular, realistic training.

“Exposing our volunteers to different environments shows how quickly conditions can change and how fast our responses need to be,” he said.

“It’s one thing to gain qualifications, but over time we need to keep our skills sharpened and our best practices in place to maintain operational capability.”

For Marine Rescue Alpine Lakes Unit Commander Cain Hopwood, hosting the exercise at Lake Jindabyne was an opportunity to showcase the complexities of alpine waterways while strengthening relationships with other units.

“It’s great that we’ve had connections with other units,” he said.

“We’re a small unit, so being able to rely on other units for training and development is really important for us. Mixing it up with other units makes a big difference, and it’s also valuable to expose visiting crews to the unique properties of inland and alpine waters.”

Unit Commander Hopwood said the scenarios conducted during the exercise reflected the types of challenges regularly faced by Alpine Lakes volunteers.

“We ran a rescue scenario where a personal watercraft had crashed into an island and a person had fallen into the water,” he said.

“The crew had to rescue the person and then tow the watercraft away from the island. That was tricky because of the rocks, the shallow water and the need to get in close to the shore, which are hazards we deal with here that you don’t usually see on the coast.”

kes it easier to deal with situations in the future, and exercises like this help build those relationships.”

The inter-unit training at Lake Jindabyne forms part of Marine Rescue NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing volunteer capability, confidence and collaboration across the state, ensuring crews are prepared to respond effectively in both coastal and inland environments.

Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.