Two brothers are sharing a warning forged in 90 minutes of fear and a desperate fight for survival: wear your lifejacket.

The warning comes as boaties prepare to hit the water this summer.

In March last year, Ian and Allen Hurne went to help people on a sinking boat on Lake Rotoiti.

Within moments, both vessels had gone down, and the lifejackets aboard were out of reach.

“It happened in seconds. You don’t have time to think, you don’t have time to grab anything, the only thing that will save you is wearing a lifejacket.”

For 82-year-old Ian, who lives in Katikati, the experience shattered a belief formed over a lifetime on the water.

“I’ve been boating all my life, from when I was a youngster in Sea Scouts, and I’ve always carried a lifejacket on board,” he said.

“I never thought I needed to put it on because it’s not going to happen that quick, you think, you’ll have plenty of time to slip it on. But when the boat sank, it was seconds, not minutes.”

As Ian entered the lake water, he said he lost sight of his brother.

“I thought he was gone. Then I felt something brush against my leg. I didn’t know what part of him I had, but I grabbed hold and yanked him up; he came up huffing and puffing.”

The people Ian and Allen helped made it safely back to shore to raise the alarm.

The brothers were left in the lake, fighting to stay alive.

Ian Hurne (left) and Allen Hurne (right) are warning of the importance to wear lifejackets after surviving a near-fatal ordeal on Lake Rotoiti. Photo / Coastguard NZ

“Reflecting on the incident, I do get emotional,” Ian said.

“It really hit me afterwards when I sat down and started thinking about the ‘what ifs’.”

Ian now has a new rule he thinks everyone should adopt.

“No one steps foot on the boat without a lifejacket, not just carrying it but wearing it.

“We’ve learned a lesson, and I have to say it was a lesson we were extremely lucky to survive.”

The brothers’ warning comes as boaties head into the first major holiday weekend under new national lifejacket requirements.

Lifejackets are now required to be worn on all small vessels under a new maritime safety law adopted by Parliament.

The Maritime Transport (Lifejackets on Recreational Craft) Amendment Bill passed its third reading in Parliament in September, and the resulting act came into effect on October 9.

The law requires occupants of recreational boats 6m or less in length to wear a properly fitted lifejacket while the vessel is underway.

Ian’s younger brother Allen had travelled from his Gisborne home to Lake Rotoiti when the brothers’ boating trip turned into a fight for their lives.

The brothers were left in the water for almost two hours after their boat sank near Wharetata Bay. Photo / Coastguard NZ

His most “vivid memory” was being in the water with his brother clinging tightly to the boat.

“It just slowly dragged down, filled with water, and slid away; we had nothing,” said Ian.

“You always think, oh well, if something comes along, I’ll have time; there was no time, simple as that.”

After an hour and a half of “flopping around” in the water, he was exhausted.

“Suddenly there’s this desperate feeling like, am I going to be alive? Am I going to see my wife and kids again? Am I going to see my grandkids? How long can I keep this going?”

After 90 minutes, the brothers were rescued by a vessel responding to the Coastguard’s all-stations mayday call.

They were brought ashore by Coastguard volunteers, where emergency services were waiting.

Allen said the experience had made him a firm supporter of the new lifejacket legislation.

“It always puzzled me as to why you were required to have them, but not wear them.

“It goes wrong so quickly, you have no reaction time, and if talking about it helps more people to come home from a fishing trip then we’re all for it.”

Seven Coastguard Rotorua Lakes volunteers brought the brothers to shore where Police and Hato Hone St John were waiting. Photo / Coastguard NZ

Surviving the ordeal had brought the brothers even closer, giving them a deeper appreciation for their relationship, Allen said.

“When we sit down with a beer or something, we talk about it, and realise just how lucky we are.”

Coastguard Rotorua Lakes president Jeremy Doorman said the region’s lakes might appear sheltered, but they carried their own unique hazards.

“Freshwater is less buoyant than the ocean, so you don’t float as well, and conditions can also change quite quickly.”

While Coastguard NZ does not enforce lifejacket rules, a responsibility that falls to Maritime New Zealand, Doorman said lifejackets were a critical “line of defence” for keeping people safe on the water.

“In the absolute unfortunate event of a boat going down, which the brothers’ did, rather than having to swim and tread water, you can float.

“There shouldn’t be any panic stations trying to find lifejackets, as they should be on.”

Doorman encouraged boaties to take their time, seek local knowledge, wear lifejackets, carry waterproof communication devices, and let someone know their plans before heading out on the lakes this weekend.

“We’ve got some beautiful lakes around the region, but if you’re not from the area, take your time, and if you see a local at the boat ramp, have a chat to them.”

Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.