A man has died and another remains in hospital with hypothermia after they spent the night in a lake north of Newcastle when their fishing boat sank.
Seven NSW Ambulance crews and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter were sent to Coomba Road at Whoota - south of Forster - after reports that two men were being pulled from the water by members of the public about 5am on Thursday.
The pair, a 48-year-old and a 37-year-old, appear to have spent the night floating in Wallis Lake after their boat capsized during a fishing trip on Wednesday evening.
The Westpac chopper service said in a statement the men had been in the water for about 11 hours by the time they reached dry land.
Police said the men clung to the capsized boat and other flotation devices before they made their way towards shore in the early hours of the morning.
"The younger man flagged down a passing motorist, who rendered assistance and called emergency services," a police statement said.
Both men were treated at the scene before being taken to Manning Base Hospital in Taree, where the 48-year-old died on Thursday.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner over his death.
The younger man remains in hospital with severe hypothermia, paramedics said.
He is in a stable condition.
The authorities have found the boat and NSW Maritime and NSW Marine Rescue crews were helping retrieve it on Thursday afternoon.
NSW Ambulance duty operations manager Inspector Ian Dwyer said it was an "absolutely heartbreaking" turn of events.
"For paramedics, arriving at a scene like this can be quite frantic - there is a lot going on with patients and people helping," Inspector Dwyer said.
"We had to move quickly to assess and treat the patients - putting them in space blankets to keep them warm after suffering through their ordeal.
"I would just like to commend the actions of those bystanders who pulled the men from the water and commenced CPR - they did an outstanding job.
"It goes to show how vital it is to learn CPR, because, ultimately, that can make all the difference in helping us to save a person's life.
"Unfortunately despite the best efforts of paramedics and staff at the hospital - there was nothing more they could do."
"All the emergency services are impacted by the tragedy, but our hearts go out to the family."
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