On Saturday, a 10-foot shore-break wave slammed into Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz, California, and pulled a young boy under the water. A 16-year-old lifeguard went in anyway — a decision that, within days, would land him an invitation to the White House.
The footage runs about two minutes: the young boy disappearing under whitewater, the lifeguard disappearing with him, both surfacing again — still together — before going under once more.
'Truly the best of America.'
Beachgoer Scott Vander Dussen caught it on his phone from start to finish.
Other swimmers tried to help and got thrown back for their trouble before a second lifeguard finally reached the pair.
NBC Bay Area identified the lifeguard as a high school student; his name is Ryder Williams.
Vander Dussen said there was no warning. One minute the water was ordinary; the next, conditions "caught a lot of people off-guard," and the boy was gone. He said he doesn't think the boy would have come home that night without the lifeguards who were there.
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The child was checked by paramedics and released to his parents.
According to Fox News, a woman claiming to be Ryder's mother has spent the days since fielding an outpouring she didn't ask for. She turned down a GoFundMe, saying, "He was just doing the job that he absolutely loves." She suggested instead that people give to Santa Cruz County's Junior Guards program, where Ryder trained.
The Guardian spoke to Ryder’s father, Shane, after the incident. “I almost started crying because how determined he was to save that boy’s life makes me so proud,” Shane Williams said during an interview.
It didn't stay a local story for long. Eric Trump reposted the footage, calling it "truly the best of America" and saying the teen deserved the country's highest civilian honor.
Then came the president himself. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he plans to bring Ryder and his family to the White House — and perhaps the boy he saved — to receive a "High Civilian Honor."
"Very brave, he deserves it," Trump added.
"I got the chills watching this,” Trump Administrator for the U.S. Agency for Global Media Kari Lake said on social media. “So many heroic, incredible men putting themselves in danger to save a life. God bless them all — especially the 16-year-old lifeguard.”
“PROOF the world still needs strong, courageous men!” Chad Prather chimed in, adding that the lifeguard is a “true American hero.”
The rescue has also revived a running argument in Santa Cruz over how lifeguards get classified. Ryder's mother is among those who think lifeguards working coastlines like this one should be recognized as first responders.
Ryder, a first-season lifeguard, was already back at his post the next day — back to business as usual, according to KION Central Coast.
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[H/T Blaze Media]
