A fishing trip for kai moana off the coast of Dunedin took a dangerous turn when a boat flooded and flipped after its motor died.
A police spokesman said they were alerted to the incident about 11.45am yesterday.
The small metal boat capsized off Tomahawk Beach in "very strong swells", but the occupants made it back to shore safely shortly after police arrived.
Kori Ropata (Ngai Tahu), one of four men on the boat, said they had headed out for a dive to collect crayfish and paua for his grandfather’s tangi.
But the engine died and a "rogue wave" came over the back and flooded their boat, he said.
The group rode the boat back in, as it was being flooded, before more waves came in and flipped the vessel.
"I just thought, ‘f..., here we go boys. Hold on, watch out for those propellers’."
They pulled the boat back in, upside down, to shore.
While they went for a "mean swim" it was "not too much of a good dive", Mr Ropata said.
"We didn’t lose any gear ... didn’t lose any lives. That’s a plus as well."
