The two Massachusetts brothers who lost their lives in the Little Compton surf Saturday met up with friends that morning for a day of fishing near Warren's Point, one of the most private, inaccessible areas of Little Compton.

Aldino A. Centeio, 31, and his brother Valdir, 28, of Stoughton but born in the Cape Verde islands, likely parked some ways away and walked across the beach toward the point at low tide, headed for a large outcrop of rocks between Warren's Point Beach and Tappen's Beach. While it is known for good fishing, the area can be extremely dangerous.

Good-sized swells were rolling in and by about 8:30 a.m., they were both in the water. Neither made it out but a third angler, who jumped in after the two, was able to get back to the rocks and was saved by a rescue swimmer and a lifeguard from Warren's Point Beach Club.

Though responders have not detailed the exact sequence of events nor how the men fell in, Facebook posts by Nicholas Centeio, a journalist in the Cape Verdes, stated that Aldino slipped on the rocks and went in the water first, and his brother jumped in after him. Neither could swim, Centeio reported.

Responders from the Little Compton Fire and Rescue Department, harbor patrol,  United States Coast Guard, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and marine units from Tiverton, Middletown and Newport searched for the men until 3 p.m. Saturday. By the time they stopped for the day, a small group of friends and family who had heard the news had gathered along the coast to watch and hope.

Though rescuers suspended the search due to rough seas and poor visibility, Little Compton Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Petrin said conditions improved by Sunday morning, "especially as the day got longer."

Little Compton's harbormaster said responders were able to bring the search to a close Sunday with the help of a Good Samaritan, who located the bodies around 11:15 a.m.

“He was a very good free diver,” he said. “We determined the most logical place for them to be and he found them.”

A rescue swimmer and another swimmer from the state DEM recovered the brothers.

Dangerous place

For locals familiar with the region's rocky, slippery coast, the deaths were shocking. But they have seen it before.

"You have to respect the water or it will take you," long-time point fisherman Gary Mataronas, of the harbor commission and town council, said Saturday. "Believe me I know."

Surf fishermen need to be on their guard, he and others said — rocks are covered in algae and seaweed and can be extremely slippery. And even when swells and surf aren't a factor, turning one's back for an instant, especially when burdened with fishing gear on unsure surfaces, can be all it takes.

Just getting to the exclusive area can be tricky, Mataronas said. The closest access points on Warren's Point and Round Pond roads are private and inaccessible by most apart from immediate residents and beach club members. So to get to the area, the brothers would likely have had to walk for more than a mile from either the Stone House or Lloyd’s Beach onto Round Pond Road and cross the neighboring Tappens Beach, he said.

Mataronas said he hopes anglers will learn from the tragedy and be careful — "Anyone who loses their life on the water, and I’ve known quite a few people, it hits home."

— With reports by Ted Hayes