A heart-racing video shows a 16-year-old California lifeguard battling violent waves to pull a 10-year-old boy to safety at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz—and someone very close to the President of the United States took notice.
In the footage, the teenage lifeguard can be seen repeatedly diving under the pounding whitewater, never once letting go of the struggling boy as massive waves repeatedly crash over both of them.
It was a relentless effort on the part of the young man. The stamina alone to keep fighting is something.
"The waves themselves, just the sound of them crashing, it demanded everyone's attention," a witness described to CBS News Bay Area.
"You could see that he (the lifeguard) had this, like, gorilla grip and was preventing that young man from being swept back out to the ocean even further. Any time there was opportunity, you could see he was making forward progress closer to the shore," he said of the rescue.
The video shows that the teenager, who was in his first season on the job, battled for more than two minutes as he fought his way shoreward with the boy. Bystanders on the beach try to help, but they get knocked back by the surf.
Just incredible.
كان المصور سكوت يقوم بتصوير شاطى سيبرايت في كاليفورنيا عندما لاحظ رأس شخص يظهر ويختفي وسط الامواج العنيفة فسارع الى ابلاغ احد المنقذين
— Saif (@diol2n) July 27, 2026
اتضح انه صبي بعمر 10 سنوات كان يركب الامواج على اللوح، قام المنقذ بالامساك به على الرغم من قوة وشدة الامواج الا انه تشبث به بقوه حاول البعض… pic.twitter.com/mav8us1CJd
Embedded tweet reads (translated):
Photographer Scott was capturing images of Cypress Beach in California when he spotted a person's head appearing and disappearing amid the violent waves, so he rushed to alert one of the lifeguards.
It turned out to be a 10-year-old boy who was riding the waves on his surfboard. The lifeguard grabbed hold of him, and despite the strength and ferocity of the waves, he clung to him tightly. Some people tried to help but were knocked down by the waves, so they backed away in fear. However, the lifeguard persisted until he rescued the boy.
The most thrilling part of the story is that the lifeguard was only in his first season on the job.
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Eric Trump took notice of the heroics on X and called on his father, the President, to award the teenage lifeguard the nation’s highest civilian honor.
That would be the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And that's a hell of an endorsement.
"Give this 16-year-old lifeguard the highest civilian honor," Trump wrote. "This is truly the best of America! Well done!"
Truly.
Give this 16-year-old lifeguard the highest civilian honor. This is truly the best of America! Well done! pic.twitter.com/Pq99xNK6WI
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) July 27, 2026
"I'm glad that the lifeguards were vigilant. I see them out there every day. I have a lot of respect for them," the same witness told the outlet.
Santa Cruz State Parks lifeguard supervisor Byran Kine reported that his crew "made more than 25 rescues" that day as the hazardous conditions persisted and were expected to continue over the following days.
Incredibly, the teenager in the video returned to work the next day. Only this time, he returned as a hero.
A Medal of Freedom-level hero? We'll just have to wait and see.
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