Two men, found clinging to a chilly bin in rough seas, have been rescued after their boat sunk in the Firth of Thames off the Coromandel Peninsula last night.
Waikato District Police Operations Manager Inspector Karl Thornton said the pair were fishing yesterday evening when they got into trouble in heavy seas.
"A rogue wave hit the side of their boat, which filled with water and began to sink," Thornton said.
"Luckily both of the men were wearing lifejackets, and one of them was able to call police around 7.50pm to say their boat had sunk and they were in the water."
About 8.25pm, officers on board the Police Eagle helicopter spotted the men clinging to a chilly bin in the water, in poor light and heavy seas.
"A local couple assisted by ferrying police out on their boat to rescue the men, and were directed by Eagle to their location," Thornton said.
"By this time it was dark and the weather was extremely rough, and without the quick response from police and locals the outcome could have been tragic."
Back on land, both men were treated by St John's staff for hypothermia.
The incident was the second water rescue in the Firth of Thames this week.
Thornton said it was a timely reminder to the public to make sure they were well-equipped for emergencies out on the water.
"The rescued pair had reflective patches on their life jackets and emergency whistles, which played a major part in officers being able to spot them quickly and get them out of the cold water," he said.
Thornton reminded Kiwis heading out to always wear a lifejacket, have two forms of waterproof communication, to check equipment is safe and working, to let someone know your plans and to check the weather forecast before going out.
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