Sound advice when it comes to navigating the South Coast's "Humpback Highway"

A NSW Marine Rescue team from the Kioloa unit recently had whales and a moonless/dark evening to deal with when rescuing two fishermen off Pebbly Beach.

Marine Rescue Kioloa Unit Commander, Peter White, took part in the operation and said "yes" there were some whales out there with them.

However, the whales did not get close to the stranded vessel or rescue unit.

Unit Commander White is a good person to speak to when it comes to vessels and whales.

He said the main thing was to slow down and maintain your course when whales were around.

"The whales know you are there and they will stay out of your way," he said.

If a whale came next to your boat, if you were fishing for example, he said the best thing to do was just sit there - and the whales will just swim away.

The Marine Rescue Unit follows the rules like everyone else with it comes to keeping distance from whales - see below.

According to the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, whales migrate each year from Antarctic waters, and the east coast of Australia is now full of displays from whales passing through as they head north to subtropical waters to mate and give birth.

Unit Commander Smith said the night before the rescue with the fishermen he counted a pod of about 10 whales 100 metres offshore.

He added it was special to see whales not only from shore but also as part of being a marine rescue volunteer.

The Marine Rescue volunteer said they also often see dolphins and seals when they are out on the water.

Going back to the recent rescue, Unit Commander Smith said the volunteers worked well as a team and quickly had the situation under control.

They tried to jump-start the vessel's battery but when this did not work they towed the craft safely back to land.

The approach distance is determined by the activity you are doing, either in the air, or in or on water, the type of animal and if there is a calf present.

The exception is when a whale, dolphin or dugong that is mostly white in colour is present. You must always stay at least 500 metres from them.

A vessel is watercraft that can be used as transport, including motorised or non-motorised boats, surfboards, surf skis and kayaks.

If you are on the water in a vessel you are not permitted to approach a marine mammal from behind or wait in front of it.

If a calf is present, you are not permitted to enter the caution zone for closer viewing. The caution zone boundary is 300 metres for whales and 150 metres for dolphins and dugongs.

Approaching when in the water - swimmers, snorkellers and divers

If you are a swimmer, snorkeller or diver, to observe a marine mammal, you may enter the water at a minimum distance of:

If you are in the water, you must keep at least:

For reference, 30 metres in length is approximately the same length as:

Source NSW Environment and Heritage

Meanwhile, an expanded team of specialised rescuers are poised and ready to launch as tens of thousands of majestic humpback whales begin their annual migration along the coastal waters.