A Santa Maria man took a long, wobbly walk off the Pismo pier around noon Tuesday and had to be rescued by surfers, according to police.

“The individual was inebriated and jumped off the pier on the south side,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Tony Ramirez.

Four surfers had the man on a surfboard and had escorted him back to shore when Ramirez arrived. The man was unable to get himself out of the water, he said.

The man suffered only from scratches on his hands as he held onto the pier when he realized he couldn’t swim back to shore, said Pismo police Sgt. Tom Portz. He had at first resisted the “patient and gracious” surfers, but was safely brought back to shore, only to be arrested for public intoxication.