It has been a wild week for California lifeguard Ryder Williams. The teenager has gone from everyday lifeguard in his first summer on the job to notching a harrowing rescue in heavy shorebreak and being elevated to a national hero, even earning an invitation to the White House from President Donald Trump, all within a few days.
Since footage of Williams rescuing a young boy at Seabright State Beach began taking over the internet, we’ve heard from his father, Shane, and grandfather, George, who suggested he may not accept the White House invitation. Sumit Rai, the father of 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai whom Ryder rescued, also spoke to Bay Area media for the first time on Wednesday.
“Another two or three seconds, I don’t think my son would have made it,” he told ABC7 Bay Area.
Ryder himself had not spoken publicly until Wednesday. The Inertia has reached out to the young lifeguard but he hasn’t been made available to the media (lifeguards rarely speak with the media about rescues). Williams said in a statement released by California State Parks that he saw bystanders on the beach going into the water to help Nathaniel and waved them off, not wanting one rescue to turn into several because the waves were so dangerous. As seen in the viral footage, another guard did ultimately jump in to help Williams bring Nathaniel safely back to shore. And at that point, the young lifeguard simply returned to his tower and went about the rest of his shift.
“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely,” he said. “This is my job and I love what I do. I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day.”
