The capsized 16ft x 18ft aluminium boat was visible upside down nearby.
Coastguard Hawke’s Bay skipper Henry van Tuel said the man – being warmed-up on board – supported the crew staying on the water to continue the search.
“We made a call at that stage, we thought ‘his mate is not far away’, so if we went back we would lose valuable time.”
A large group helped in the ongoing search, including the Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter and three private commercial vessels.
One of the commercial vessels, the Star Keys, located the other man unresponsive in the water about 4.20pm.
The rescue helicopter winched down a paramedic to that vessel to assess the person.
Unfortunately, he was deceased.
“Both were wearing lifejackets and while police investigate the accident, let’s all have empathy for the family and wider whānau and avoid speculation,” the Hawke’s Bay Coastguard said in a post.
“Our thoughts are with the whānau at this sad time.
“We want to thank our SAR partners who helped in the search.”
That included police, the rescue helicopter, the three commercial-private vessels (including two from Napier Port), Napier Sailing Club, and the Hawke’s Bay surf callout squad.
The death will be referred to the Coroner.
It is unclear exactly when the aluminium boat capsized and how long the men were in the water.
Police vehicles were visible outside the Coastguard building on Tuesday evening, and the Star Keys commercial vessel was in the harbour by 5pm.
High winds caused plenty of damage to parts of Hawke’s Bay on Tuesday, particularly in southern parts of the region.
