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Four men snatched to safety moments before they would have been swamped by huge seas "get the stupidity award for 2007", says one of their rescuers.
"It's quite amazing they're still alive", said lifesaving veteran Malcolm Beattie, who is president of Sunset Beach Surf Life Saving Club at Port Waikato.
He said the four Mangere men, aged between 18 and 24, set out at 6.30pm on Saturday to cross the Waikato River in a 2.4m rubber dinghy.
Part-way across the river, their 2hp outboard motor cut out and would not restart.
Observers called the surf club after they saw the boat being rapidly swept by the outgoing tide towards the river's treacherous bar.
Volunteer lifeguards launched their powerful rescue boat.
"We got a rope to them right on the bar and dragged them in," said Mr Beattie.
"There was a hell of a huge sea pounding on the bar and there's no doubt about it, there would have been fatalities."
The men were not wearing lifejackets, and their flimsy craft had little freeboard.
"They had no protection, nothing to save themselves from anything and with a tiny motor that could not cope ... it's probably the most ludicrous thing I've seen in my 30-odd years of lifeguarding at Port Waikato," said Mr Beattie.
"I could not believe it."
The men rushed away after being pulled to the shore and last night had not returned to give their details and collect their craft.
Mr Beattie said the dangers of that area of the coast had to be respected.
