Nathaniel Rai stood in ankle-deep water on July 25. The 10-year-old was enjoying the ocean at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz, California. Then he lost his footing. Sudden swells pulled the boy under water. That’s when lifeguard Ryder Williams radioed in and raced toward the boy to save his life.
Pounding waves surged over both Nathaniel and 16-year-old Ryder. “After the first wave, I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard,” Ryder said in a statement.
California State Parks employs the lifeguards at the beach. It reports the boy was swept about 15 yards into the ocean before Ryder made contact with him.
In video footage, Ryder can be seen diving into a coming wave while holding on to Nathaniel. Another lifeguard jumped in to help, along with some bystanders. Ryder says he warned them to go back to shore.
The boy had no serious injuries. California State Parks said in a statement that after a medical evaluation, Nathaniel was released to his family.
Sumit Rai is Nathaniel’s father. He was in his home city of Dallas, Texas, during the incident. He heard about what happened when he spoke to his kids on the phone that evening.
Rai says his son told him that he got sand in his lungs and was coughing it out after getting to the shore. “He was very subdued, still in a state of shock,” he says.
Ryder is part of a team committed to protecting others. “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely,” he says. “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.”
Rai says he can never repay Ryder for what he did. The grateful father has reached out to the teen and hopes to thank him directly.
“He ran into that water despite those conditions that are deadly. You have 10-foot waves; you have riptides and currents coming in,” he says. “He’s risking his own safety.”
He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. — 2 Samuel 22:17
