Wearing extra gear and frigid temperatures increase the risks of being on the water.
This morning in Shilshole bay a Harbor patrol unit and U.S. Coastguard were dispatched after reports of two men in the water.
Close to 4 a.m., two men fell off a 40 ft. sailboat near Golden Gardens and were unable to get out of the water. They were in the water for sometime before onlookers called the police.
The two victims managed to keep from drowning by hanging on to life preservers and ropes that had been thrown to them by friends.
The two victims were rescued and rushed to Harborview Medical Center for potential hypothermia treatment. It is not know how the men ended up in the water but police are investigating.
Winter water temperatures in Puget Sound hang around 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Onset of hypothermia in those frigid temperatures can happen within 10 minutes.