The two men were driving to work before dawn when they thought they could cross the Naas River - but didn't realise that the floor in the middle of the crossing had been swept away.

As they edged forward in the Nissan X-Trail, the vehicle suddenly dropped and was carried for 400 metres, spinning in the swirling water as it went.

"I think we rolled upside down twice. The windows were up and the water was coming in slowly," the driver, Nelson, said. "We were going at a really big speed," passenger Greg said.

Neither Nelson nor his passenger, Georgiy (known as Greg), wanted to give their last names. One works in Fyshwick and the other in Woden.

Nelson had had training in sea survival. When the car came to rest with his driver's side on the river bed, he told Greg above him to slowly lower the windows to let the water in so the door on the uppermost passenger side could open.

As the water filled the car, the two struggled upwards to the surface. They then stood on the vehicle for four-and-three-quarter hours, trapped on top by the raging water.

By pure luck just before noon, Kevin and Kate Reid were out checking the pumps on their property and spotted the two men on the side of the submerged car.

"They tried to get them out but they didn't have the manpower," their neighbour Mandy Curtis said.

Mr and Mrs Reid had driven the two kilometres to the property of Mrs Curtis and her husband Kel for help.

Other neighbours got involved (Natalie and Mike Hogan and their two teenage boys, Isaac and Lewis) in what became a community rescue operation.

"As you do in a situation like we had, other neighbours called in to see if everything was OK," Mrs Curtis said.

The eight-person troupe of unofficial community rescuers headed back to the lads on the car.

"We all went down to make sure that these boys were OK. We got them out with a winch and a rope and a ute," Mrs Curtis said.

"When we first got them out, Greg was really shaking. His whole body was rattling. We were concerned about hypothermia," she said.

The two rescued men were taken back to the Curtis' home and treated to chicken soup. They were full of praise for the rescuers. In particular, Kevin Reid's "clear, calm instructions" were just what they wanted to hear.

By early evening, they were warm and being looked after. Nelson said the shock hit him later.

When he was driving and the car was suddenly swept away, he said he turned to Greg and said, "Sorry mate."

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