Three men had to be rescued after their 16-foot power catamaran capsized offshore of Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape on Saturday.

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) dispatched its sea rescue vehicle and also launched two other sea rescue craft after receiving reports about the capsized boat.

“On arrival on the scene, one man was found clinging onto the upturned hull and it was reported that two men were trapped in the cabin below water,” said NSRI Port Alfred deputy station commander Chris Pike.

“NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water to free dive to search for the two men when at that time both men surfaced and they were rescued onto the sea rescue craft.

“They were brought to shore and the three men — one local man and two men from Kimberley — were medically checked by Guardmed ambulance services and required no further assistance,” Pike said.

“The casualty boat was too waterlogged to right or recover and was anchored for salvage to be arranged by the owners later,” he added.