A mechanical fault caused the jetski to break down and the 28-year-old Albury man drifted to the middle of the lake, Water Police Acting Sergeant Matt Henderson said.

The man was attempting to make a 4.5km journey from The Pines boat ramp to Kookaburra Point about 6.30pm on Thursday.

Instead of attempting to swim for shore, he decided to remain with the broken down jetski.

Acting Sgt Henderson said it was a potentially life-saving decision.

While the man was wearing a life vest he was not wearing a wetsuit and with the water temperature down to 13 degrees police say had he been in the water hypothermia would have set in within 12 hours and he would have struggled to survive beyond 24 hours.

The experienced jetskier also let family know where he was going, an action that attracted praise from police and a message for others to do the same.

“It’s great message for people out there that sometimes things don’t go the way that you’ve planned,” Acting Sgt Henderson said.

Authorities were alerted about two hours after the man set off and members of the public joined search and rescue teams on the water and along the shore.

The search was called off at midnight but resumed at first light and friends found the man on a small island on the lake at about 6.40am on Friday.

The man was said to be in good spirits when he was found.

Police have said while the man wasn’t required to carry an emergency locator beacon it would have made a huge difference to the search time.

“It’s very cheap these days to buy a personal locating beacon,” Acting Sgt Henderson said.

“That would have been an instantaneous way of finding him.”