{"id":21471,"date":"2026-07-30T00:24:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T19:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=21471"},"modified":"2026-07-30T00:24:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T19:24:06","slug":"california-teen-lifeguards-viral-rescue-captures-awe-he-was-just-doing-his-duty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=21471","title":{"rendered":"California teen lifeguard&#8217;s viral rescue captures awe. He was just doing &#8216;his duty&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content=\"\">\n<p>The dramatic footage of a teenage lifeguard saving a child from punishing waves along the California coast has captured the attention of the nation, drawing praise from the <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DbPB4XHt7da\/\" target=\"_blank\">shores of Santa Cruz<\/a> all the way to <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/2082159711852298494?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">the White House<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Video of the rescue at Seabright State Beach on Saturday, <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DbPB4XHt7da\/\" target=\"_blank\">captured and shared<\/a> by local photographer Scott Vander Dussen, has gone viral on virtually every social media platform. The footage shows the rookie lifeguard, just 16 years old, holding onto a limp child as massive swells repeatedly pound the duo. <\/p>\n<div class=\"enhancement\" data-click=\"enhancement\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<div class=\"video-enhancement\" data-vertical=\"\" data-video-disable-history=\"\">\n<div class=\"video-enhancement-player\">    <gn-video-player class=\"gvp  block relative  aspect-[9\/16] overflow-hidden  w-full bg-cms-color-brand-background lg:z-10\" data-video-player=\"\" data-video-authors=\"Grace Toohey, Albert Brave Tiger Lee\" data-video-id=\"0000019f-aef9-d442-addf-aefb10840000\" data-video-platform=\"gvp\" data-video-title=\"This 16-year-old lifeguard\u2019s rescue captured the awe of the nation.\" data-internal-video-id=\"0000019f-aef3-d3f8-a7df-bef715380000\" data-player-id=\"ffd7c60e8508b4b869f5dd35cc6e71307\" data-autoplay-threshold=\"50\" data-vertical=\"\" data-lazy-offset=\"1.0\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div data-vjs-player=\"\" class=\"video-js  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src=\"https:\/\/ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com\/af\/34\/f435fc2046d79b6e683310610586\/apple-hls\/lifeguardrescue-custom-avc-9x16-540p-29-97fps-2500kbps-automatic.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\"\/><source src=\"https:\/\/ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com\/af\/34\/f435fc2046d79b6e683310610586\/apple-hls\/lifeguardrescue-custom-avc-9x16-360p-29-97fps-600kbps-automatic.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\"\/><source src=\"https:\/\/ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com\/af\/34\/f435fc2046d79b6e683310610586\/file-group\/lifeguardrescue-custom-generic-hd-mp4-av1-aac-16x9-720x1280p-30hz-2mbps-qvbr-vq7.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\"\/><\/video>   <\/p>\n<div class=\"gvp-overlay gvp-layer\">\n<div class=\"gvp-overlay-poster\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/bdb38b4\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1080x1918+0+1\/resize\/110x195!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2b%2Ff3%2F359b565443e9b9d4c671804680ae%2F9x16-template-00-01-10-14-still012.jpg 110w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/f4d0240\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1080x1918+0+1\/resize\/180x320!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2b%2Ff3%2F359b565443e9b9d4c671804680ae%2F9x16-template-00-01-10-14-still012.jpg 180w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/2ca895d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1080x1918+0+1\/resize\/320x568!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2b%2Ff3%2F359b565443e9b9d4c671804680ae%2F9x16-template-00-01-10-14-still012.jpg 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568w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/6d4e77d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1080x1918+0+1\/resize\/768x1364!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2b%2Ff3%2F359b565443e9b9d4c671804680ae%2F9x16-template-00-01-10-14-still012.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 280px) 320px, 100vw\" width=\"473\" height=\"840\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/8f7f416\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1080x1918+0+1\/resize\/473x840!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2b%2Ff3%2F359b565443e9b9d4c671804680ae%2F9x16-template-00-01-10-14-still012.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>   <\/picture> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/gn-video-player>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>They eventually made it to shore with the help of a second lifeguard. No one suffered any serious injuries, officials said. <\/p>\n<p>President Trump re-shared the video in a post on X \u2014 calling the teen a \u201cheroic young man\u201d who he hopes will come to the White House to be properly honored for his valor. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery brave, he deserves it!\u201d the president said. <\/p>\n<p>But the family of the lifeguard, who identified him <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/29\/california-ocean-rescue-teen-lifeguard\" target=\"_blank\">to The Guardian<\/a> as Ryder Williams, said the teen feels he was simply doing his job. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me he doesn\u2019t know why everyone was blowing this out of proportion,\u201d Shane Williams, Ryder\u2019s father, told the outlet. His comments to me are like \u2026 \u2018Any other lifeguard on duty would do the same thing I did.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe sees [the rescue] as his job \u2014 his duty,\u201d Shane Williams said. \u201cHe did his job that day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, the father said he was moved watching the video of his son. This summer was Ryder\u2019s first as a California State Parks lifeguard, and the rescue that has gone viral was also his first. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was such a stud out there,\u201d Williams told The Guardian. \u201cI\u2019m super, super proud of him.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Williams said his son actually made a second rescue later that day, but it wasn\u2019t caught on video.<\/p>\n<p>Lifeguards across the state have <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-07-28\/california-lifeguard-rescues-summer\">made thousands of rescues<\/a> over the last few days as people have flocked to the coast to escape a long summer heat wave. But in their quest for relief, they\u2019ve found massive, dangerous waves and strong currents fueled by tropical cyclones from the eastern Pacific Ocean, <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NWSBayArea\/status\/2081005432571650332?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">according to the National Weather Service<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Lifeguards with the California State Parks\u2019 Santa Cruz District, which includes Seabright State Beach, performed 34 rescues over the weekend and more than 5,000 \u201cpreventative contacts\u201d with beachgoers, which may have avoided additional rescues. <\/p>\n<p>In the rescue caught on video, a State Parks spokesperson said the lifeguard saw a child lose his balance in the waves and get swept about 15 yards offshore. He was able to reach the child, and pull him back to safety with the help of a second lifeguard, State Parks spokesperson Angelica De La Pe\u00f1a said in a statement. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur State Park lifeguards courageously risk their own lives every day to keep our visitors safe,\u201d she said. \u201cTheir dedication never goes unnoticed and they are truly heroes to their local communities, Californians and the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The dramatic footage of a teenage lifeguard saving a child from punishing waves along the California coast has captured the attention of the nation, drawing praise from the shores of Santa Cruz all the way to the White House. Video of the rescue at Seabright State Beach on Saturday, captured and shared by local photographer&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/2b45a48\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4739x2488+0+277\/resize\/1200x630!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F01%2F36%2Fcada8ece4d1881f6476f35b43f9a%2Fla-me-santa-cruz-lifeguard-rescue01a.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}