Four fishermen were rescued Thursday morning when their boat sank in shark-infested waters off Fire Island.

The men had been fishing for just over four hours and had their catch, a 5-foot mako shark, strapped to the back of their boat. Lifelong fisherman Ray Pasieka, of Oceanside, says he suddenly noticed water rushing out of the boat.

The men tried unsuccessfully to call out to a nearby fishing boat. Two off-duty Nassau County Police Marine Bureau officers were aboard their own boat and heard the distress call. The rescuers say the vessel sank almost as soon as the fishermen put on their life jackets.