The Ocean Lost This One

A sixteen-year-old lifeguard, a drowning boy, and the video everyone's talking about.

Happy Sunday, everyone. Ready for some good news? This week, all it takes is one video.

Last Saturday afternoon at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz, a 10-year-old named Nathaniel was playing in ankle-deep water when the ocean took him by surprise. He lost his footing for a second and suddenly he was in the surf that grown men couldn’t stand up in, and you’ll see a few of them try.

The first one to him was the lifeguard from the nearest tower, Ryder Williams, who is sixteen and working his first summer on the job. He radioed it in, dropped his radio and sunglasses at the base of the tower, popped his buoy, and went in after him.

Watch what the ocean is doing to everybody else in that frame. Adults wade in to help and get knocked over. The waves just keep landing on that kid’s back, and through the whole thing Ryder has him. Witnesses said the fight went on well past what the video shows, and at one point you can see Ryder waving the adults off, because apparently he was worried about their safety while he was mid-rescue.

Another lifeguard finally got out to them and helped haul the two of them in. Nathaniel got checked out and went back to his mom and sister, scared but fine.

Ryder’s own account of what happened next: “Shortly after, I got back into my tower.” He finished his shift.

When the video blew up and people started asking his mom about a GoFundMe, she turned them down. He was just doing the job he loves, she said. Ryder said about the same, and then gave the credit to his fellow lifeguards, who he pointed out are making rescues like this every day.

Everyone seems to have an opinion about kids these days. Most of them aren’t kind. If you’re worried about what the next generation is made of, I’ve got a video for you.

That, my friends, is good news for your Sunday.

– Adam