Two men were rescued today after their vessel capsized in waters off Molokai.

According to a Coast Guard release, the two men left Kaunakakai Harbor earlier in the morning aboard an 18-foot recreational boat to go fishing. Around noon, a wave overturned the vessel. The two men were able to swim out from under the boat but could not call for help.

One of the men then swam back under the boat to manually active an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB).

Coast Guard watchstanders received the emergency alert from the boat and, upon confirmation, dispatched a 45-foot response boat-medium crew from Maui and a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Barbers Point to the area.

The aircrew located the overturned vessel and hoisted the two men out of the water.

“If these men did not have an EPIRB, they might not be coming home tonight,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Shamica Titus, a search and rescue planner, Joint Response Coordination Center Honolulu. “Having the beacon registered and our prompt notification by it gave us information to work from sooner than an overdue report and a place to start searching. This action can save hours, maybe days, in a search and make the difference between life and death at sea.”

No injuries were reported.