Two kayakers have been rescued off the North Queensland coast, one of whom was treading water for hours.
Seventeen teenagers onboard an eight-day school holiday tall ship voyage joined in a rescue effort coordinated by Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
What's next?
A 55-year-old woman who suffered exposure has been discharged from hospital and the South Passage has continued its voyage.
Teenagers spending their school holidays on an eight-day sailing trip have rescued a pair of kayakers from choppy, crocodile-prone waters in North Queensland.
Sailing master Robyn Elkington, who was on the South Passage along with 17 teenagers, said the tall ship was called in to rescue the kayakers about midday on Thursday.
The ship was at the southern end of Hinchinbrook Island, east of Cardwell, while the kayakers were stranded at the northern end of the 35-kilometre long island.
"While we were sailing south we had a call from Canberra to say that there had been a man-overboard button activated," Ms Elkington.
"There wasn't any other boats out there except a tanker way out to sea, and he wasn't coming in."
The man and woman kayaking around Hinchinbrook Island became stranded and one of the kayaks, paddled by a 55-year-old woman, was upturned.