The prompt action of a couple of Wanganui firefighters certainly averted what could have been a tragic situation in the Whanganui River on Saturday evening.
Firefighter James Arnott and senior firefighter Charlie Bilby dived into the cold waters to drag a woman back to shore after a dinghy had capsized.
There were three people in the dinghy, which tipped over in the river off the end of Drews Ave around 6pm.
Rescue services were alerted and two fire trucks from the Wanganui station responded, along with Whanganui Police and St John ambulance.
"It was around halftime in the rugby [All Blacks-Japan test] about 7pm that we got the call," Mr Arnott said yesterday.