MA'ILI — What started out as a day of pleasure fishing two miles off Ma'ili Beach yesterday morning nearly turned tragic when the boat suddenly sank, leaving four men stranded in the ocean with one working life preserver.

Quick thinking and the swift actions of numerous people prevented a disaster, and all four men were safely rescued, according to those involved. But not before there had been some harrowing moments as they struggled to stay afloat for nearly an hour.

"We could have died," said Kurt Lopes, 21, one of the four survivors. "I was giving up already. Thought nobody was coming for us. The boat went down fast."

Lopes said the four fishermen — who all work for the same Nanakuli painting and construction firm — had the day off and decided to go fishing. At around 9:45 a.m., just as they were bringing in an aku, Lopes said, the outboard motor broke loose, the bilge pump didn't work, and the boat was swamped almost instantly. Less than two minutes later the 19-foot craft sank in 3,000 feet of water, he said.

There were only two life preservers, and the one Lopes was wearing was torn and soon water-logged. The men swam, treaded water and clung to anything afloat, such as a passing ice chest. Lopes said before the boat went down he had just enough time to put in a call on his cell phone — to his dad, Mark Garcia.

Garcia said the message was brief:

"He said, 'The boat is going down! We need help right away!' And then the phone cut out," Garcia recalled. "It was a horrible feeling getting that call."

But the call may have saved lives. Since Garcia knew the men had gone fishing off Ma'ili Beach, he hurriedly contacted the Honolulu Fire Department. Soon a joint effort had been mobilized that included HFD, the Coast Guard, Honolulu Police Department, Emergency Medical Services and Ocean Safety Division personnel.

Police, Fire Department and Coast Guard helicopters were dispatched, while a 41-foot Coast Guard motor lifeboat made its way toward the location of the sunken vessel.

Garcia also alerted the Wai'anae Boat Harbor, and harbor master William Aila began contacting boaters in area waters to be on the lookout for men in distress.

Toby Kim, 29, said he and his companions in the ocean offered each other words of encouragement as they tried to keep their heads above the waves. Privately, though, he said, he was starting to have doubts that they would make it. Their spirits rose when they heard helicopter engines. But Lopes said he and the others saw the helicopters before the choppers spotted them.

"We kept seeing them pass us," said Lopes. "We was yelling, 'Help!' and waving our arms."

HFD spokesman Capt. Terry Seelig said the police helicopter was first to spot the four. Shortly thereafter, HFD's Air 1 helicopter rescued Lopes' brother, Garth Garcia, and co-worker Ryan Puahala, while a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter picked up Lopes and Kim.

By 10:41 a.m., all four had been plucked from the water and taken to Ma'ili Beach Park, where they were checked by EMS personnel.

"They were evaluated for injuries from water exposure or any kind of injuries as the boat sank, and no treatment or transport was needed," said Seelig, who added that the rescue was an example of how well things can work out when a joint effort is quickly coordinated.

Mark Garcia, 44 — co-owner of the sunken vessel — said he has no intention of getting another fishing boat.

"I don't even want to think about that," he said, as the four survivors discussed their experience with friends and family near the edge of the Ma'ili Beach parking lot.

"I'm just glad they're all alive."