Two brothers were rescued after being stranded on a rock on the Atlantic when their kayaks both capsized. With one lifejacket salvaged between them, they clung to rocks with a rising tide for at least two hours before being rescued by the Narragansett Fire Department.
On Saturday, June 7, 2025 a fisherman called 911 to report an empty Old Town Predator fishing kayak and a shoe had washed ashore near the mouth of the Narrow River near Narragansett, Rhode Island.
Rescued from the rising tide after kayak accident off the coast of Narragansett, Rhode Island
“We received a 911 call at approximately 9:35 that night from a fisherman,” Captain Charles Lacoste from the Narragansett Fire Department and Incident Commander the night of the rescue shared with Kayak Angler Magazine. “He reported a kayak and shoe washed up on the beach. The fire and police department both responded with multiple units… officers on the north side of the river were able to hear the victims calling for help and made a visual confirmation after spotlighting them clinging to a rock several hundred yards offshore.”
Captain Lacoste also shared that the pair did not have any sort of signaling device with them, and the brothers were dressed in street clothes with one lifejacket between them, but the pair reported a second lifejacket was lost when their kayaks overturned.
“The waves and water depth prevented the USGS response vessel from approaching the rock,” added Captain Lacoste. “Our rescue watercraft, Jet Ski, was utilized to deploy rescue swimmers to the rock and shuttle the victims to our fire boat.”
“Thankfully we were able to respond when we did because they didn’t have much time left,” Captain Lacoste told WPRI News. “We normally do not operate our Jet Ski during nighttime however this was a risk a lot save a lot situation.”
This was the Narragansett Fire Department’s third water rescue of the day. Both of the rescued brothers were able to return home with only minor injuries.
Surviving a kayak accident
Wearing a life jacket on your body rather than storing it in or on your boat can ensure that you don’t lose a life jacket upon capsizing; life jackets are extremely difficult to put on while in the water. Additionally, carrying a device to signal for help can make it easier for rescuers to find you in a precarious situation while you await rescue. This could include flares, a signaling mirror or a whistle.
“If the victims had appropriate signaling devices or waterproof communications, VHF or cell phone, with them we may have located them hours earlier,” Captain Lacoste told Kayak Angler, adding that having these items tethered to their person in a dry bag could have led to a quicker rescue in daylight hours.
“Had their boat not washed up on the beach, it may have been a recovery situation rather than a rescue,” added Captain Lacoste.
