A boating trip north of Napier ended in tragedy with one man dead and another treated for hyperthermia after the boat flipped suddenly.
Two men in their 60s left Napier around 3pm yesterday to check crayfish pots off Waipatiki Beach and were expected to return at about 6pm.
Family members called Hawkes Bay Police Search and Rescue around 10pm when the men had not returned.
The upturned hull was found by Hawkes Bay Coastguard and the Low Corporation Rescue Helicopter near rocks about 5km north of Waipatiki Beach.
The 5.8 alloy pontoon boat had suddenly flipped leaving for the 65-year-old and 63-year-old in the water, police say.
The 65-year-old man was found alive on the beach. He was flow to Hawkes Bay Hospital where he was treated for hyperthermia. He has since been released from hospital.
The body of the 63-year-old was found on rocks nearby and recovered by the rescue helicopter at around 8am this morning.
"It appears that the men were not wearing life jackets when the boat flipped suddenly throwing the men into the water," says Senior Sergeant Luke Shadbolt.
"It is a tragedy when an afternoon of recreational fishing ends in tragedy and shows the importance of wearing life jackets at all times as incidents like this can develop very quickly."
The death has been referred to the coroner.
Newshub.
