Two boaties have been rescued after their vessel capsized in Auckland's Manukau Harbour this afternoon.
A member of the public contacted the Coastguard around 2.04pm after spotting a capsized boat on the Manukau bar.
A Coastguard aircraft and vessel, the Police Eagle helicopter and Westpac Rescue Helicopter attended the incident.
A "quick-thinking" person on a jet ski had rescued one of the boaties, while crew from the Westpac Rescue Helicopter winched the other to safety.
Rough conditions, however, "made it impossible" for Coastguard volunteers from Waiuku to recover the upturned boat.
A boatie was winched to safety on Sunday afternoon after their boat capsized in the Manukau Harbour. (Source: Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust)
Coastguard commended the boaties for their "proactive approach to safety" — the boaties had logged a trip report, were wearing lifejackets and had an EPIRB onboard, although they weren't able to activate it.
"The skipper of the capsized vessel did the right thing by logging a bar crossing trip report with our Operations Centre at 1.44pm. Per our protocols, if we hadn't heard from them by 2.14pm, we would have initiated a search and rescue response," a Coastguard spokesperson said.
"Luckily, a member of the public called us first. We're really [grateful] to the person that raised the alarm, the actions of the skipper, our Coastguard volunteers, and the Police Eagle and Westpac Rescue Helicopter, which all led to a quick response and a successful outcome today."
An Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust spokesperson said it had assisted a male patient in his 50s and another in his 60s. Crew carried out a water winch and beach winch. They said transportation to hospital by helicopter wasn't needed.
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