Four men who were rescued by helicopter from a boat in waters near Bundaberg on Saturday "absolutely did all the right things", according to emergency services.
RACQ LifeFlight Rescue says a group of tourists was attempting to turn its 5.2 metre catamaran around, when it capsized off the coast of Fraser Island on Saturday afternoon.
The men managed to climb on top of the upside-down boat and alerted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
They used an emergency position-indicating radio beacon, which hailed a rescue helicopter.
Despite fading light, rescue crews found the men just after 5:00pm.
They were individually winched from the hull and into the helicopter, before being flown to Hervey Bay Hospital.
One of the men required treatment to a minor leg injury.
RACQ LifeFlight Rescue aircrew officer Brent Malden, who operated the winch, said "these guys absolutely did all the right things".
"It shows the importance of safety equipment," Mr Malden said.
"They were wearing life jackets, they had flares, they set off a registered beacon … one of them had the beacon tied to himself.
"Thanks to all those safety measures, we were able to find them quickly and rescue them."
The men were in remarkably good shape, despite their ordeal.
"They were wet and cold, because they'd been out there for about an hour and a half before we arrived," Mr Malden said.
"They had set off flares to try to alert other boats that they needed help, but it seems nobody saw them, perhaps due to significant smoke haze around the island."
AMSA says it is important that boat owners check their safety features are up-to-date so they can be easily located in times of trouble.
