The Invergordon lifeboat was launched and local coastguards teams deployed at about 14:30.
As they headed to the scene it was reported that the dinghy had come to rest on a sandbank.
The local coastguards on the ground were able to reach the inflatable vessel and help the occupants to safety.
Invergordon Lifeboat spokesman Michael MacDonald said: "They were lucky to come to rest on a sandbank.
"If the wind had picked up it could have been blown them further out with the tide also on it's way out and they could have been put in more danger."

The woman had withdrawn her pension from a bank in Altrincham on Monday before heading into the Iceland store.
While shopping she was approached by a woman who grabbed her trolley and demanded her money.
Not willing to give up without a fight, however, the octogenarian hit the woman over the head with the bacon before the would-be thief fled empty-handed.
Greater Manchester Police said while the 86-year-old was "safe and well", she was "shook up about the incident".
Update 20 July 2016: A video of the incident obtained by Altrincham Today and released later revealed the incident was less dramatic than previously reported by Greater Manchester Police.
Two adults and a child were rescued by coastguard teams after their dinghy was blown offshore near Nairn East beach.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
An 86-year-old woman fought off a would-be thief with a packet of bacon in a Greater Manchester supermarket.