Police have praised four fishermen for having all the survival gear on board that helped rescuers find them after their boat sunk off the Gold Coast.

The four mates on the 7.6 metre powerboat were about 18 nautical miles East-North-East off the Gold Coast Seaway when they got into trouble just after 1.30pm. PolAir, the Westpac rescue chopper and the water police were all part of the rescue mission.

Ben spoke to Senior Constable Mick Banyari from the Gold Coast Water Police who was one of the first on the scene and plucked them out of the water.