An inflatable rescue boat (IRB) crew was called to the emergency about 11am Sunday morning, after a surfer with a drone spotted the rock fisher in trouble.

While IRB crew members Anthony Bellette and Ben Ralston launched the boat, the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter was also deployed to assist.

Bellette said the eyes in the sky kept track of the angler's location, as the IRB crew launched in harsh conditions.

"It took a couple of goes to negotiate the break, the surf was pretty big," he said..

"You're doing everything you can to get there as fast as possible. But at the same time, due to the size of the swell, we had to make sure we did everything as safe as possible for our guys.

"The chopper played a pretty big part in being able to locate the patient. We were able to go directly to him and not waste time searching.

"A local surfer with a drone actually spotted the guy go into the water and did an awesome job keeping on eye on him until we could get there."

Bellette and Ralston pulled the 34-year-old fisherman - who was conscious and breathing - into the boat about 11.30am, and took him to nearby Mackenzies Beach for treatment and transport by paramedics.

The lifesavers went on to assist two other anglers to safety; they were in the same location at Pretty Point.

Sunday's rescue was the second time lifesavers were called to rescue a rock fisher in the past two months.

Surf Life Saving NSW issued a Hazardous Surf Warning for the long weekend with a particular focus on the extreme dangers of rock fishing due the powerful southerly swells impacting much of the coast.

Serendipitously, 15 minutes further south at Broulee, the NSW Sharkskin IRB Premiership race event was taking place.

More than 30 IRBs and several hundred highly skilled rescuers were gathered at Broulee Surfers SLSC, on hand to assist if needed.

Bellette had been watching the IRB racing at Broulee, and reminiscing about his former race days with the Batemans Bay team.

He said the sport contributes greatly to the enhanced capability of lifesavers to conduct rescues in challenging circumstances.

"I was watching them thinking god I wish I was doing it again! Everyone went off to uni and we lost all the keen young ones who were into it. It's so much fun, it's such a great sport," Bellette said

"IRB racing is a really important. You definitely notice the driver and crews who race together and know each other really well, they know their boats in and out and they know how to read each other and in big swells and going into rescue situations, it's important to know who you're with and be able to trust your crew.

"IRB racing definitely helps fine tune those things and all the guys who were at the beach at Broulee, you could really see that in their skills. It was just great to watch."