A Stamford man rescued a kiteboarder in distress off the coast of south Florida Tuesday.

Eryk Wenziak is a 22-year-old Fairfield Prep graduate who is currently working in Florida.

Wenziak and a group of others were aboard a fishing boat when they spotted a man clinging to a kiteboard off Pompano Beach.

The kiteboarder fell off the board and couldn't get the sail back up.

"We exchanged a few words. He was really, really appreciative of us and it felt pretty good at that moment getting him inside the boat, you know. It wasn't calm so with him out there treading water, who knows what could have happened. We got him to shore and it was a good feeling on the inside," said Wenziak, who was piloting the charter boat at the time of the rescue.

Wenziak also says the area where the man was kiteboarding is popular. However, the currents are strong and he says it's a good idea to stay close to shore and refrain from going out on the water alone.