Teen lifeguard reveals near-death battle to save boy from crushing California waves

The 16-year-old California rookie lifeguard whose daring ocean rescue captured national attention is revealing what was racing through his mind as he fought towering waves to save a drowning 10-year-old boy.Ryder Williams became an overnight hero after pulling Nathaniel Rai from the pounding surf at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz on July 25 — a dramatic rescue that later earned praise from President Trump, who announced the teen will receive a high civilian honor.Now, Williams is opening up about the terrifying moments when he realized the child’s life was slipping away.“As I grab the child, he goes limp, so I’m thinking about if he’s unconscious or not, that I really need to go in,” Williams said.The rookie lifeguard had been scanning the water from Tower 2 when he spotted the boy after a powerful wave swept him off his feet in ankle-deep water.Williams dropped his gear and sprinted into the rough 8-to-10-foot surf.“The challenges for this rescue was that it was so close in, fins were ineffective,” he said.The closer he got, the more desperate the situation became.“I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard,” Williams said.“The whole time I was thinking, I just need to hold my position until my partner can get here because I’m not going to be able to get him out on my own.”Williams said he focused on keeping both himself and the boy from being dragged farther into the Pacific.“Doing the best I can to get a good grip on the child and not get sucked out any further.”As beachgoers rushed into the surf to help, Williams ordered them back to shore.“There were bystanders who jumped in to try to help, and I yelled at them all to get back to shore,” he said.Another lifeguard soon reached the pair.“My partner mostly takes over holding the child because at this point, my arms were very exhausted from holding on,” Williams recalled.

“I still support him as much as I can as we drag him out o...