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The men were diving near Tatapouri, near Gisborne, on Sunday.
A father and son diving near Gisborne are lucky to be alive after drifting out to sea in windy conditions.
The pair and another diver were diving north of Tatapouri, just north of Gisborne, shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday.
The trio had tied up their kayaks and anchored them while they were diving.
Due to the windy weather conditions, the anchor crawled and the trio drifted out to sea.
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One of the divers was able to return to shore with the help of another person who was in the water and raise the alarm.
The Search and Rescue Police, the Coast Guard and the New Zealand Rescue Coordination Center launched a comprehensive search.
Strong winds and large waves created difficult search conditions for teams.
A 21-year-old diver was located by helicopter 500 meters from the coast. Coastguards were directed to his location and brought him safely to shore.
The second diver, his 53-year-old father, was found eight nautical miles (14.8 km) from shore by the Coast Guard and was also brought safely to shore.
Neither of them required medical treatment, but it was understandable that they were both cold and shivering.
“This was a fantastic result for the family, they were lucky to have been found,” said Sgt. Greg Lexmond.
“However, it is a good reminder not to dive in poor conditions. We are talking about driving under conditions, you also need to dive under conditions,” he said.
