The dramatic footage of a teenage lifeguard saving a child from punishing waves along the California coast has captured the attention of the nation, drawing praise from the shores of Santa Cruz all the way to the White House.
Video of the rescue at Seabright State Beach on Saturday, captured and shared by local photographer Scott Vander Dussen, has gone viral on virtually every social media platform. The footage shows the rookie lifeguard, just 16 years old, holding onto a limp child as massive swells repeatedly pound the duo.
They eventually make it to shore with the help of a second lifeguard. No one suffered any serious injuries, officials said.
President Trump re-shared the video in a post on X — calling the teen a “heroic young man” who he hopes will come to the White House to be properly honored for his valor.
“Very brave, he deserves it!” the president said.
But the family of the lifeguard, who identified him to the Guardian as Ryder Williams, said the teen felt he was simply doing his job.
“He told me he doesn’t know why everyone was blowing this out of proportion,” Shane Williams, Ryder’s father, told the outlet. His comments to me are like … ‘Any other lifeguard on duty would do the same thing I did.’”
“He sees [the rescue] as his job — his duty,” Shane Williams said. “He did his job that day.”
Still, the father said he was moved watching the video of his son. This summer was Ryder’s first as a California State Parks lifeguard.
“He was such a stud out there,” Williams told the Guardian. “I’m super, super proud of him.”
Lifeguards across the state have made thousands of rescues over the last few days as people have flocked to the coast to escape a long summer heat wave. But in their quest for relief, they’ve found massive, dangerous waves and strong currents fueled by tropical cyclones from the eastern Pacific Ocean, according to the National Weather Service.
Lifeguards with the California State Parks’ Santa Cruz District, which includes Seabright State Beach, performed 34 rescues over the weekend and more than 5,000 “preventative contacts” with beachgoers, which may have avoided additional rescues.
But Vander Dussen, who captured the now-viral video, said this rescue would always stand out to him — which is why he shared it on social media.
“I’ve seen lots of interventions and rescues,” Vander Dussen said. “I have never seen something like this.”
He was at Seabright beach Saturday afternoon when he heard a crash from what he called a sneaker wave — swells that suddenly surge much farther up a beach and are considered potentially dangerous because they can overtake unsuspecting beachgoers.
As the foaming waters began to retreat, he said he saw a “young man’s head popping up, being carried out to the ocean.” Almost immediately, he said, several people, including himself, alerted the closest lifeguard tower. But they soon realized a lifeguard from a slightly closer tower was already jumping into action: Ryder.
“That’s when I turned the camera on and started to document it,” Vander Dussen said, adding that he “had no idea it was going to be that intense.”
He watched the lifeguard expertly navigate several powerful wave cycles but became worried about the child, who appeared limp during the rescue.
Eventually, Ryder made some progress bringing the boy inland, and with the help of another lifeguard, they made it ashore. The 10-year-old boy who was rescued received some immediate medical attention but was soon released to his parents, Vander Dussen said.
After watching the video several times, Vander Dussen said he became more and more impressed by the young lifeguard.
“Ryder really knows what he’s doing,” he said, calling him a “quintessential Santa Cruz lifeguard.”
Still, he said the teen had remained “incredibly humble,” even as he’s told him about how wide the video has spread.
“It’s a lot to process for a young man,” Vander Dussen said. But he said he deserved the praise, calling him a “local hero” who “knows the ocean in and out.”
“He’s the perfect person you’d want out there rescuing you,” Vander Dussen said.
State officials agreed.
“Our State Park lifeguards courageously risk their own lives every day to keep our visitors safe,” State Parks spokesperson Angelica De La Peña said in a statement. “Their dedication never goes unnoticed and they are truly heroes to their local communities, Californians and the nation.”
Vander Dussen said he initially shared the video not just to raise awareness about water safety but also to increase support for lifeguards, whom he called key first responders — though federally they aren’t classified as such.
He is hoping the video helps boost support for an effort in Congress to ensure they are considered first responders, which would allow them to be eligible for some specific benefits, especially if something goes wrong on the job.