WESTPORT — A wind surfer in distress was rescued by a boater Friday after being swept away in wind-whipped surf off Compo Beach.

Reports about a struggling wind surfer were received by police from people on the beach about 6:15 p.m. Friday. Local wind speeds were reportedly gusting at nearly 40 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Westport firefighters’ rescue boat was launched to search for the surfer, while fire engine companies were dispatched to help look for the surfer from the Longshore and Saugatuck shoreline areas.

Joining the search were rescue vessels from the Norwalk and Fairfield fire departments, as well as the Coast Guard, according to a report by Westport Assistant Fire Chief Jeffrey Gootman, the shift commander.

Before the emergency services’ boats arrived at the site where the surfer was struggling, he was located by a civilian boater and taken on board his craft, the report states.

The surfer was taken ashore to the E.R. Strait Marina at Longshore, where he was evaluated by Westport EMS personnel and declined to be taken to a hospital emergency room for further evaluation.

While Westport fire crews scrambled to assist in the water-rescue operation, backup coverage for motor vehicle accidents on the Post Road and Merritt Parkway was provided by firefighters from Norwalk and Fairfield, Gootman said.