A father is expressing overwhelming gratitude after his 10 year old son survived a terrifying near drowning at a California beach, thanks to the quick actions of a 16 year old lifeguard whose rescue has captured national attention.
The incident happened on July 25 at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz, where Nathaniel, 10, was swept into dangerous surf before lifeguard Ryder Williams rushed into the water to save him.
Speaking to ABC7 News, Nathaniel’s father, Sumit Rai, said the rescue came just moments before it could have ended in tragedy.
“Another two or three seconds, I don’t think my son would have made it,” Rai said.
He explained that several beachgoers initially tried to help but quickly realized how dangerous the conditions were.
“They formed a bit of a human chain because, at first, you see a couple of people run out and they felt the intensity of the waves and we didn’t want to have to see more people get rescued,” Rai said. “I think they saw that, so they retreated.”
After an intense struggle against the powerful surf, Ryder successfully brought Nathaniel back to shore.
The dramatic rescue quickly went viral, eventually drawing praise from President Donald Trump, who announced that Williams would be invited to the White House.
“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 Honor,” Trump wrote. “Very brave, he deserves it!”
Rai revealed that his son lost consciousness during the terrifying ordeal and believed he was going to die.
“From what I gathered, he assumed he was going to die,” Rai said. “He was drowning. He knew he was drowning. He blacked out. He went unconscious.”
“When he came out of the water, he was clearly limp. It doesn’t look like he was breathing.”
The emotional father said he will never be able to fully repay those who saved his son’s life.
“God bless them and, you know, thank you,” he said. “I cannot express sufficient gratitude.”
“There’s nothing more valuable to me than my children. And so to save one of them and their lives, especially at such a young tender age, which is such a premature way to lose someone. I can’t thank them enough.”
Despite receiving widespread praise, Williams has remained humble about his actions.
“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return this child to his family safely,” the teenage lifeguard said.
“This is my job and I love what I do. I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day.”