A man who was thrown into the Tauranga Harbour after his dinghy capsized is now safely on shore thanks to a passing sailor.

The man could be seen from The Strand waving out for help as he clung to his overturned dinghy about 2.15pm.

A passing sailor helped pluck the man from the ocean and tow his dinghy to shore. Photos: Letitia Atkinson.

Members of the public reported the incident to police after witnessing the man's situation.

Police at the scene say the Tauranga Coastguard had been called but were stood down when the man managed to get to a sandbar in the middle of the harbour.

The man was not wearing a life jacket.

A person in a sailing boat came to the man's aid and helped tow him and his dinghy, which they managed to put the right way up once on the sandbar, back to shore.

Conditions in the Tauranga Harbour are not ideal at the moment with northerly wind speeds of 19knots gusting up to 24knots at times.

Police say the man is fine but has been taken to Tauranga Hospital to be checked over.