Three adults rescued near Montague Island after engine failure

Marine Rescue NSW received a distress call at about 9.30am on Thursday, April 6. It comes less than 24 hours after a man in his 70s died while navigating the Narooma bar.

The rescued trio were fishing in their 4-metre runabout when they suffered an engine failure.

A spokesperson for Marine Rescue NSW said that the Narooma rescue branch had been on high alert since yesterday's tragedy.

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"Our coxswain did a wide loop track to assess the conditions and waited for a calm wave set to safely cross the bar," they said.

"Conditions today were slightly better than yesterday, but safety is paramount."

The rescue team used a shorter rope than normally used to tow the boat across the bar. Thankfully, the team completed the rescue and crossed the bar without incident.

"For our coxswain to say we need to assess [the bar] and do the loop is a reminder to any boaties to really assess the conditions."

The rescue comes as conditions are set to worsen across the south coast during the Easter long weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a strong wind warning for Friday, April 7 and has forecast 30 knot offshore winds over the weekend.

The spokesperson said it was crucial for all boaters to "log on" when they start their trip by using the Marine Rescue NSW app or using VHF marine channel 16.