Two men are lucky to be alive when a fishing trip went horribly wrong after their boat was hit by a rogue wave crossing Bowentown bar at 11pm last night.
Neither were wearing lifejackets, leaving them to clamber on to the upturned hull of the capsized 7m aluminium boat as it drifted into the harbour on the incoming tide.
The men aged 40 and 26 stayed put until the tide turned and sucked the boat past Anzac Bay.
They decided to strike out for shore, with the younger stronger swimmer making land while the older man took the precaution of using the drawstring of his shorts to tie his wrist to a yellow 20-litre petrol container.
He failed to make the shore and was sucked out to sea.