Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 1

16-Year-Old Lifeguard Pulls 10-Year-Old Boy From 10-Foot Surf at California Beach

Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 1

16-Year-Old Lifeguard Pulls 10-Year-Old Boy From 10-Foot Surf at California Beach

Q: How did a teenage lifeguard manage to drag an unconscious boy through deadly 10-foot waves to safety?

He managed it through training, quick judgment and sheer persistence in the surf, then with crucial help from a second lifeguard. Ryder Williams, 16, was already near the waterline at Seabright State Beach when he saw 10-year-old Nathaniel lose his footing in ankle-deep water and get swept about 15 yards out. Williams immediately radioed for help, dropped his radio and sunglasses, grabbed fins and a rescue buoy, and sprinted into the water from roughly 20 yards away. Once he reached the boy, the rescue became much harder than the viral video alone suggests. Nathaniel’s father said the child had gone limp after losing consciousness, effectively becoming about 100 pounds of dead weight. Williams later said the surf was so volatile he could not properly “tube up” the victim at first. After the first wave, he still could not pull the boy free because the water pressure and breaking surf were so strong. What kept the rescue alive was that Williams never let go. Witnesses said he repeatedly took breaths, ducked under breaking waves and resurfaced still holding the boy as 4-to-6-foot surf, with sets up to 10 feet, crashed over them. He also waved off bystanders to avoid creating more victims in the dangerous rip current and shore break. After two to three more waves, fellow lifeguard Aaron Bohnen entered the water and helped pull both Williams and the boy to shore. The entire rescue lasted just over two minutes, and the boy survived.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 1

Nathaniel, 10, was swept about 15 yards into deep water at Seabright State Beach after a wave knocked him off wet sand, and 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams reached him before he drowned.
High-surf conditions drove the rescue: California State Parks said swells were running 4 to 6 feet, with some sets reaching 10 feet, and Williams said the boy was limp as waves repeatedly broke over them.
Aaron Bohnen joined the effort after several waves, helping Williams bring the child ashore and check him for injuries; the boy's father said, "Without him, my son wouldn't be alive."
The viral rescue has drawn national attention, with President Donald Trump saying Williams deserves a White House trip and a national honor.
Santa Cruz District lifeguards performed 34 rescues over the weekend and made more than 5,000 preventative contacts, underscoring the broader danger along the coastline.