Another boat on the water responded to the mayday call and got the two uninjured men on board.
“Being on the bar, the sea is so disturbed in that space that it is a very tricky rescue,” Turfrey said.
“They are lucky that a passing vessel was able to pull them out of the water.”
The men were eventually picked up by Coastguard and their boat was taken back to Pūtiki.
Midway to Pūtiki, Coastguard was informed about another rescue required – two swimmers in difficulty off Castlecliff Beach.
The extended time to rescue the overboard men and reach the Pūtiki access point meant Coastguard was delayed 15 minutes for the second rescue.
Whanganui Surf Lifeguard Service was able to carry out the beach rescue.
Wanganui Manawatu Sea Fishing Club commodore and Surf Lifeguard Service marine search and rescue team member Jamie Newell said it was “lucky” both rescues could be carried out.
“It could have been a lot worse; it’s highlighted something that everyone has been complaining about for a long time,” Newell said.
“In a life-and-death situation, that is real bad; [45 minutes] is a huge time.
“We were lucky with the community, with everyone helping out to save the situation, but if they weren’t there it would have been a lot different.”
Newell and Turfrey said Coastguard was unable to launch from the Wharf St ramp at low tide because it was too shallow.
Coastguard has been calling for the area to be dredged because it poses a safety risk.
Newell said the incidents highlighted there was a “life-and-death” risk when rescue vessels could not access the water efficiently.
“If every duck doesn’t align, then someone is not going to survive; we are lucky that a whole lot of ducks aligned to make the situation good,” Newell said.
“We are very fortunate that we haven’t had that situation in the last couple of years, yet.”
Whanganui Port chairman Mark Petersen said dredging work at the Wharf St boat ramp had been pushed forward following the incidents.
Dredging began on Tuesday to “restore better access and reduce the risk of this happening again”.
“Dredging of this area had already been approved as part of the port’s current dredging programme; however, it had been scheduled to occur later alongside other works at Wharf 3,” he said.
Peterson acknowledged the efforts of Coastguard Whanganui.
“The safety of harbour users, including emergency services such as Coastguard, remains a priority for Whanganui Port and we will work closely with them while the work is carried out,” Peterson said.
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
