TRIO FORCED TO ABANDON SMALL BOAT OFF FORSTER

Three people have had a lucky escape off the coast off Forster, plucked from the water after their boat was swamped by a wave.

The group were around six nautical miles offshore when they were forced to abandon their small boat, setting of an EPIRB in an effort to alert authorities.

Their call for assistance triggered a large scale emergency response including the tasking of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

They were eventually pulled from the water uninjured by the crew of a passing boat, before being transferred to a Marine Rescue NSW vessel.

The small boat was towed back to Forster.