10-Year-Old Rescued From Rip Current By Teen Lifeguard Says He Thought He Was Going To Die

CBS Bay Area

August 5, 2026

A 10-year-old boy who was saved from a rip current off the coast of Santa Cruz, California, last month said he thought he was going to die before a 16-year-old lifeguard rescued him.

"I'm super thankful for him saving my life," Nathaniel Rai said about the teen lifeguard, Ryder Williams.

Nathaniel told "CBS Mornings" that "the waves were really big" that day at the beach, so he stayed on the shore. But at one point he tripped and got pulled into the water.

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