Three young Dunedin men, in a two-person, blow-up dinghy, were caught in the rip late on Monday and swept out to small, rocky Bird Island.
One then swam to shore to raise the alarm and the other two, aged 21 and 22, were winched from the top of the island by the Otago Rescue Helicopter.
Search and rescue chairman Martin Balch said yesterday Bird Island was a "known trouble spot" and there had been a high number of helicopter rescues there over the years.
He advised that before going boating, people should check the conditions and seek out local knowledge.
The winds were light, but offshore, on Monday night, and a "moderate" swell of about 2m was running.
"Predictably, the trio joined the ever-growing number of water enthusiasts who have been caught by the currents and rips in the area."
Mr Balch received the rescue call at 9.43pm.
Because it was just on dusk, it was considered too dangerous to send a surf rescue IRB, so "the quick bit of fun in the surf" for the trio ended up requiring a helicopter rescue.
The rescue involved up to 20 people, including helicopter crew, search and rescue staff, St John ambulance and police.
Mr Balch said boats should be big enough, suitable for the purpose and properly equipped.
"Clearly, most of the rules were broken by this trio, so yet again volunteers have their evening interrupted and the police have another large helicopter account to pay."
Dunedin police said the men were wearing wetsuits and lifejackets.
