Sandakan: Two men went out fishing only to end up bobbing in choppy seas for about four hours after their boat capsized.

The duo, aged 21 and 40, left Sim Sim at about 1pm on Friday and two hours later, their boat was hit by strong waves three times before it capsized.

Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) personnel on patrol in the vicinity heard the two men shouting for help and went to their rescue.

The duo had held on to a portion of their boat that was under water to stay afloat, said KD SriTiga commanding officer Let Commander Mohd Sham Abdulah.

They were rescued at 7.28pm on the same day near Pulau Berhala, some 16 nautical miles from here.

The two men who are related were later sent to the Duchess of Kent Hospital here for medical observation.