Two young men nearly drowned after the boat they were heading out to sea in capsized and they became tangled in their nets.
The two men - believed to be in their late teens or early 20s - headed out of Kaituna Cut yesterday in a 5m aluminium dinghy.
They had been heading over the Kaituna bar in poor weather when the boat capsized, trapping them underneath.
Maketu Coastguard's Shane Beech said the men initially became caught in their own fishing nets which had been in the boat with them.
''They got caught under the boat as well as entangled in the net. They managed to free themselves,'' he said.