Brick Man Rescued at Sea After Falling Off Boat

The foggy waters off of Bay Head were the site of high drama yesterday when a Brick resident fell from a friend's boat in the early morning hours. Fortunately, the Coast Guard was able to rescue the victim who had drifted around for nearly two hours before he was found. 

"I was lucky to hear them calling my name," said Mark O'Polo, who was wearing a life jacket. "When I fell in, I figured my friends would circle back and pick me up, but I guess they didn't hear me," he said.

O'Polo had boarded the boat belonging to his friend, Skip Outonya, early yesterday. They, along with several other friends, planned a day of fishing on the ocean. Although there was a dense fog warning, Outonya decided to head out anyway. It was when the fog was at its thickest that O'Polo accidentally fell off the boat. 

"To be honest, we didn't notice Mark was missing for like a half hour," said Outonya. "We debated whether to go back and look for him. Normally we probably would have, but the fish had just started biting. We figured he'd be ok because he had a jacket on, and it's not like we are such close friends." Skip Outonya did pause his fishing long enough to contact the Coast Guard. "It was the least I could do," he said. "We did go back later to look for him once the fish stopped biting."

Coast Guard spokesperson, Lt. Hope Youcan-Float, said it was a difficult rescue. "The fog was as thick as peanut butter. All we could do was call out to him and hope he could locate us," she said. The Coast Guard boat circled the area slowly while shouting, "MARK O'POLO! MARK O'POLO!" 

By the time the Coast Guard arrived, Skip Outonya had returned. He and the others on his boat also started calling out, "MARK O'POLO! MARK O'POLO!"

For O'Polo, it was difficult to know which way to go. "I couldn't see anything, and I kept hearing MARK O'POLO being shouted from different directions. Eventually I was able to get close enough to the Coast Guard boat and they picked me up," he said.

Mark O'Polo said the experience has made him re-evaluate his life. "I don't want to waste any more time," he said. He now plans to visit the Orient. "I've always wanted to travel to the east. I may even start an import business. I hear there's a lot of exotic spices and stuff there." 

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