NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Santa Cruz, CA, August 3, 2026 — “Dad, I drowned.” Those were the haunting words 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai told his father after a terrifying ordeal in which he was swept into the Pacific Ocean by powerful waves and rescued by a 16-year-old lifeguard who has since been hailed as a hero.
Nathaniel, who was visiting Santa Cruz from Texas with his mother and younger sister, was standing in ankle-deep water at Seabright Beach on July 25 when a sudden surge knocked him off his feet and dragged him into the ocean during a day of dangerous surf.
His father, Sumit Rai, was in Dallas when he received the call every parent dreads.
“I wasn’t there to protect him,” Rai told Elizabeth Vargas Reports. “He said, ‘Dad, I drowned.'”
What happened next has captured national attention after dramatic cellphone footage of the rescue spread across social media.
Seasonal lifeguard Ryder Williams, 16, spotted the struggling child and immediately sprinted into the rough surf. Realizing the conditions were too severe to properly deploy his rescue tube, Williams fought through waves reportedly reaching nearly 10 feet to reach Nathaniel.
By the time he got to him, the boy had gone limp.
“I thought he was unconscious,” Williams later recalled.
Holding the child tightly as wave after wave crashed over them, Williams maneuvered toward shore until fellow lifeguard Aaron Bohnen reached them and helped bring Nathaniel safely onto the beach.
Nathaniel was treated by paramedics and escaped serious physical injuries. According to his father, he inhaled sand and seawater, briefly lost consciousness, and has been coughing up sand since the incident. The emotional impact has also lingered, with the boy reportedly having difficulty sleeping and reliving the frightening experience.
For Sumit Rai, there is no question who deserves the credit for his son’s survival.
“He absolutely saved my son’s life,” Rai said. “He ran into that water despite those conditions that are deadly. What he did, I can never repay. I’m forever grateful.”
The family hopes to meet Williams in person to thank him.
Despite widespread praise and media attention, Williams has remained humble.
“This is my job, and I love what I do,” the teenager said.
Remarkably, after the rescue, Williams returned to duty and reportedly assisted with additional rescues later that day.
Beach safety officials say the incident is a stark reminder that even shallow water can become dangerous when powerful swells and rip currents are present. Conditions can change in seconds, and children should never be left unattended near the surf.
For the Rai family, however, the lasting memory will not be of the terrifying waves, but of a teenage lifeguard who ran toward danger when every second mattered.
