Two missing snorkelers clung to rocks for hours after being lost in heavy seas south of Pauanui Beach in the Coromandel before they were rescued yesterday.
The two men became trapped at 2pm yesterday when big swells forced them to take safety on the rocks.
Rising tides separated the snorkelers from each other by about six to seven metres.
The Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter came to the rescue of the pair just before the last light of day at 6pm.
Crew chief Mark Cannell who operated the winch which rescued the men off the rocks said it was some of the most trying conditions he's been in.
"It was touch and go.
"I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have survived if we hadn't got there in time. Certainly one of them wouldn't have made it."
One of the rescuers said there was barely enough room for him to position his feet on the ledges to save one of the men.
Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trusts, Lincoln Davies said the two men were slightly hypothermic but didn't require transportation to hospital.
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