A sunny summer day at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz nearly turned into every parent’s worst nightmare when calm ocean waters suddenly transformed into a terrifying wall of white water.
According to ABC 6, a 10-year-old boy enjoying the shoreline lost his balance after a sudden, massive swell hit the coast, knocking him down and immediately dragging his small frame out into the unforgiving Pacific currents. Witnesses on the scene were left scared as they spotted the young boy thrashing against the 10-foot waves.
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Before panic could completely consume the crowd, a 16-year-old first-year lifeguard named Ryder charged headfirst into the pounding surf, braving wave after wave to reach the struggling child. Video footage shows Ryder wrapping the boy in a tight bear-hug, ducking under incoming walls of water to avoid getting knocked over, and refusing to let go of the youngster even as heavy swells repeatedly smashed over both of them.
Several well-meaning bystanders attempted to rush into the foam to help bring the duo back, but the aggressive current knocked them off their feet instantly.
Fortunately, a second lifeguard dove in to assist, and together the guards navigated through the heavy current to pull the exhausted 10-year-old onto dry land safely, leaving onlookers cheering and wiping away tears.
Photographer Scott Vander Dussen, who caught the heart-stopping incident on camera, recalled the horrifying moment the child was pulled out. “When the wave crashed, it left a white foam, and I could see a black dot, which was his head getting pulled out,” Vander Dussen said, describing the suddenness of the swells. He added that in all his years visiting the area, he had “never seen a rescue this intense before” as the ocean showed no mercy to anyone standing in its path.
State Parks officials reported that lifeguards made over 30 rescues in Santa Cruz County that weekend alone due to sudden long-period swells generated by offshore tropical cyclones, and warned to be careful.