A 16-year-old lifeguard has broken his silence after saving a 10-year-old boy from powerful waves at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz. Ryder Williams entered the water on Saturday afternoon to rescue Nathaniel Rai, who was struggling in the surf.
Footage from the incident shows Williams holding onto Rai as waves crashed around them. At one point, the teenager ducked underwater, keeping hold of the boy until they neared the shore, where another lifeguard, Aaron Bohnen, assisted in bringing them to safety. Witnesses on the beach applauded as the boy was carried ashore.
Williams stated he was at the waterline when he saw the child lose his footing. "After the first wave, I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard," Williams said. He noted that Bohnen entered the water to assist, and he directed bystanders to stay back.
"I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely," Williams added. "This is my job and I love what I do."
His grandfather, George Williams, reported that the 16-year-old performed five rescues in total that day, with some described as more challenging than the initial rescue of Rai. During the weekend, lifeguards in Santa Cruz conducted 34 rescues, attributed to large surf, warm weather, and heavy crowds.
Nathaniel Rai, who was on vacation in California from Dallas, Texas, had been in ankle-deep water when a sneaker wave swept him out to sea. His father, Sumit Rai, told ABC 7 that his son briefly lost consciousness and thought he was drowning. "From what I gathered, he assumed he was going to die," Rai said.
"Because of Ryder and those people that helped, he actually survived this," the father stated, expressing profound gratitude. "There's nothing more valuable to me than my children."
Scott Vander Dussen, a witness, shared footage of the rescue online, remarking that the boy was "moments from not coming back."
Ryder Williams' father, Shane, recounted his son's words: "Dad, I wasn't going to let go of that kid because I knew if I let go of him, he was going to drown and I wasn't going to let that happen." He described his son's actions as reflective of his caring nature and desire to give back to his community.
California State Parks acknowledged the courage of its lifeguards, stating they "risk their own lives every day to keep our visitors safe" and are "truly heroes."