Surfers hit the waves early as boat capsizes

Keeping an eye on the waves is the golden rule for anyone taking a boat among the breakers.

And two surfers have learned the hard way what happens when you fail to heed the tip after a suffering a nasty - and embarrassing - wipeout during a recent venture into the surf.

Precariously positioned in the impact zone as they prepared to enter the fray, the boardriders had the boat facing the shore with their backs turned to the impending threat.

And right on cue mother nature threw up a wave, which launched the boat over the falls, sending the surfers and their boards flailing into the water.

But not only did they have to deal with the initial wipeout, they were also washed perilously close to a rock outcrop only metres away.

After taking a thrashing one of the surfers managed to scramble back aboard the boat, which remarkably stayed afloat.

However, his relief was short-lived when another wave approached and began to break, forcing him to bail overboard.

The comical mishap was posted on Facebook, garnering over 15,000 views, and while we're not sure who was involved or where the incident occurred, it serves as a timely reminder to never turn your back on the ocean.