A 10-year-old boy pulled from dangerous surf off Santa Cruz is describing the terrifying seconds before a teenage lifeguard reached him and brought him back from the waves.
Nathaniel Rai was rescued from the ocean on the afternoon of July 25 after being swept away while swimming at Seabright Beach during a family vacation in California.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Nathaniel and his father, Sumit Rai, said the rescue came down to moments. Had he remained in the water just a few seconds longer, they said, he could have been carried another 15 feet by the powerful surf.
Nathaniel said he had been swimming near the shallows when a large wave suddenly slammed into him and dragged him into danger.
“I started screaming for help. I think I saw the lifeguard and then passed out,” he recalled.
Sumit, who was at home in Texas at the time, said watching video of the rescue — footage that has since spread widely online — was deeply frightening.
“When you look at that, you look at him submerged under the water, you look at the water conditions, the rip tides, the rip currents, the undertows, the 10-foot waves. I mean those are deadly water conditions,” Sumit said.
By the time 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams reached Nathaniel, the boy’s father said, his son was “limp and unconscious” in the water.
Nathaniel Rai survived a terrifying near-drowning off the shore of Santa Cruz, California, in July
Ryder Williams is seen holding on to ten-year-old Rai amid the strong waves
Williams (left) has been hailed a hero and was praised by the boy’s family, who said the teen was the last thing he saw before going unconscious
Despite the difficult rescue, Williams charged into the water and pulled Nathaniel to safety while dodging the massive waves.
Harrowing video footage taken by Photographer Scott Vander Dussen for Santa Cruz Now showed the boy’s limp body getting pulled to safety as other lifeguards ran in to assist.
Nathaniel regained consciousness and started breathing again once brought to shore, but was coughing up sand.
Since the life-changing ordeal, the father-son duo are back home in Texas and have developed a heartwarming relationship with Williams and his family.
Sumit said he connected with the teen’s father and the two have struck up a friendship, bonding over their shared passion for UFC and MMA.
He told Fox News Digital that Williams’ father is a retired firefighter, and that Sumit, coincidentally, runs a charity that screens firefighters for cancer risk.
The miraculous save has generated national headlines and even caught Donald Trump’s attention.
Nathaniel and Sumit Rai recalled the life-changing experience in a recent interview, with the pair revealing they have developed a bond with the lifeguard and his family
Nathaniel said in a recent interview that he was swimming in the shallow waters when a massive wave crashed into him, and he lost consciousness
The president said he planned to invite Williams to the White House to receive a High Civilian Honor, an idea the Rai family fully supports.
The lifeguard’s father, Shane Williams, described his pride in his son during an interview with The Guardian earlier this week.
‘I almost started crying because how determined he was to save that boy’s life makes me so proud,’ he said.
‘He sees [what happened Saturday] as his job – his duty. He did his job that day,’ the proud father added.
The teen described his perspective of the save shortly after it went viral, writing in an online statement: ‘After the first wave, I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard.’
‘There were two to three more waves before lifeguard Aaron Bohnen entered the water to help me. There were bystanders who jumped in to try to help and I yelled at them all to get back to shore.’
Williams said the save was difficult because Nathaniel’s body was limp and the waves were pushing the boy away from him
Another lifeguard came to Williams’ assistance, and the two helped Nathaniel to shore, where he was able to breathe again
Williams said he was grateful to have been able to save Nathaniel and bring him back to his family safely
Williams added that Nathaniel was ‘at the waterline 15 yards down-coast of Tower 2, when I looked up and saw a child about 20 [yards] up from the tower lose his footing in ankle-deep water.’
At that point, he said he ran into the ocean to try to reach the child. Once the boy was safely back on the beach, Williams said he and Bohnen assessed the child, after which he resumed his regular lifeguard duties.
‘I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely,’ Williams said. ‘This is my job and I love what I do.’
He then added that he is ‘thankful for my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day.’
