The teenage lifeguard who saved a young swimmer at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz on Saturday has been identified as Ryder Williams. The 16-year-old lifeguard rushed into the water to save a 10-year-old child who was overwhelmed by wave after wave. The incident was captured on camera, and the video has since been watched millions of times.
More surprising, however, was that the rookie lifeguard returned to duty immediately after the rescue and went on to help in four more rescues as hazardous surf continued to batter the coastline. California State Parks later said Santa Cruz District lifeguards carried out dozens of rescues over the weekend after powerful swells triggered dangerous rip currents and unexpectedly large waves.
ALSO READ: Did Ben Affleck win 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'
Who is lifeguard Ryder Williams?
On July 25, 16-year-old rookie lifeguard Ryder Williams dove into rough surf at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz to rescue a 10-year-old boy who was being pulled out by powerful waves. Battling heavy breakers, Williams kept the child afloat for nearly two minutes until additional rescuers arrived, preventing what the boy's father later called a likely tragedy.
ALSO READ: Still storing leftovers in aluminum foil?
That day, Williams says he was at “the waterline 15 yards downcoast of Tower 2 making a safety contact when I looked up and saw a child about 20 (yards) up from the tower lose his footing in ankle deep water. I radioed it in, threw my radio and sunglasses at the base of my tower as I ran toward the kid.”
“I put my fins on my wrist, popped my buoy and entered the water to get ahold of the child. Due to the volatility of the water, I was unable to tube up the victim,” he wrote. “After the first wave I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard.”
That’s when Williams explains he received help from another lifeguard, Aaron Bohnen. He added some beachgoers jumped in to help, but he “yelled at them all to get back to shore.”
“Once Bohnen and I got the kid to shore I was instructed to get the med bag from Bohnen’s unit and we assessed the child,” Williams wrote. “Shortly after, I got back into my tower where I returned to provide lifeguard services for the rest of my shift.”
Williams continues to say he is “grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely.”
“This is my job and I love what I do,” he wrote. “I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day.”
Father says he is 'super proud of him'
Ryder Williams has spent his whole life preparing for such a moment, according to his father. “He told me: ‘I just was not going to let that happen,’” Shane Williams said during a telephone interview. “I almost started crying because how determined he was to save that boy’s life makes me so proud.”
“It’s just been in his DNA since he was born,” Shane said. “He sees [what happened Saturday] as his job – his duty. He did his job that day.” “He was such a stud out there,” Shane said. “I’m super, super proud of him.”
Trump wants to honour him
After watching the rescue video, US president Donald Trump praised the teenager on social media and said his bravery deserved national recognition. "We’re going to bring this heroic young man, and his family, into the White House with, perhaps, the boy he saved, to give him a High Civilian Honour. Very brave, he deserves it!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
