Two Kayakers Rescued From Ocean off Ortley Beach

A pair of local kayakers who got caught in a quick-moving ocean current once a strong west wind kicked up Tuesday night were safely rescued by local fire company personnel, officials said.

Toms River police received a 911 call from one of the kayakers at 7:26 p.m. reporting that despite their best efforts to turn back toward shore, their boats had turned sideways and were being blown eastward into the open ocean, said police spokesman Ralph Stocco.

The pair, a 44-year-old Ortley Beach man and a 41-year-old Seaside Park woman, were in separate kayaks off the area of Joey Harrison's Surf Club when the wind picked up, Stocco said.

They were ultimately rescued by members of the Ocean Beach Fire Company, Lavallette Fire Department and Seaside Heights Fire Department, who responded to the scene with watercrafts, Stocco said. The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched a 47-foot Motor Life Boat to the scene, however both kayakers had been rescued before the crew arrived.

The kayakers were not injured and refused medical treatment, said Stocco.