HANSVILLE – A man tumbled from his rowboat off Point No Point Friday afternoon while setting crabpots about 75 feet from shore.

He was soon safely ashore, thanks to a life-jacket and a neighbor who came to his rescue.

North Kitsap Fire & Rescue crews went to an address off of Point No Point Road at 12:38 p.m. after several persons called 911 to report that a man had fallen into the water from a rowboat. The first firefighter to arrive on scene was there within four minutes of dispatch, and found a woman in another rowboat towing the life-jacketed man back to shore, NKF&R spokeswoman Michele Laboda reported.

Medics met the man shortly thereafter and examined him. With the exception of being quite cold, the man appeared to have escaped injury from his plunge into Puget Sound’s chilly waters. He declined further medical treatment or transport, Laboda reported.

“Life jackets that are properly fitted and worn help keep victims above water – even when they’re too tired or too cold to swim,” Laboda reported. “Point No Point’s strong currents and cold waters could easily prove fatal to anyone not wearing a life jacket.  Within as little as 10 minutes, the frigid water temperatures can impair even the strongest swimmer’s abilities.  The danger is compounded by some of the swiftest currents in Puget Sound.

“Even more important than the life jacket, the alert neighbor is credited by firefighters for providing quick and competent assistance to the man as current threatened to carry him away from the beach.”