The heroic teen lifeguard who risked his life to save a 10-year-old boy from pounding waves was hailed by President Trump in the Oval Office Monday — with the boy he rescued by his side.
Ryder Williams, 16, saved Nathaniel Rai from the treacherous surf at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz on July 25 as powerful waves repeatedly crashed over them.
“What you did was incredible and everybody saw it,” Trump told Williams, praising the teen as a role model for young Americans.
Monday, August 17, 2026, in Washington.
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
right, in the Oval Office at the White House on Monday, August 17, 2026.Getty Images
“Maybe lifeguards don’t get the credit they deserve,” Trump said.
Williams also expressed he wanted to be a firefighter when he’s older to which Trump replied “We’ll give recommendations,” with a smile.
Williams saved 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai from the pounding surf in a dramatic rescue that was captured on video, showing Williams’ heroic effort as he kept the young boy above water.
The video went viral shortly after the rescue and caught the attention of Eric Trump and eventually the president himself.
Rai and his father were also present during the Oval Office meeting, Rai’s father expressed his gratitude to Williams and to Trump for hosting the event.
“We’re going to bring this heroic young man, and his family, into the White House with, perhaps, the boy he saved, to give him a High Civilian Honor.
Very brave, he deserves it!” Trump posted about the rescue days after it happened.
Williams recently opened up about the terrifying moments when he realized the child’s life was slipping away in a video interview posted to social media.
“As I grab the child, he goes limp, so I’m thinking about if he’s unconscious or not, that I really need to go in,” Williams said.
The rookie lifeguard spotted the young boy get swept away in ankle-deep water, grabbing his gear and sprinting into surf with waves up to 10-feet tall.
“The challenges for this rescue was that it was so close in, fins were ineffective,” he said.
The closer he got, the more desperate the situation became.
“I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard,” Williams said.
“The whole time I was thinking, ‘I just need to hold my position until my partner can get here because I’m not going to be able to get him out on my own.’”
Stephen Amell, Livvy Dunne, Luke Eisner, Jessica Belkin, Kylar Miranda, Kai Moya,
Shay Mitchell, Ashley Moore, Thaddeus LaGrone and Noah Beck. Michael Becker / FOX
As beachgoers rushed into the surf to help, Williams ordered them back to shore.
“There were bystanders who jumped in to try to help, and I yelled at them all to get back to shore,” he said.
Another lifeguard soon reached the pair.
“My partner mostly takes over holding the child because at this point, my arms were very exhausted from holding on,” Williams recalled.
“I still support him as much as I can as we drag him out of the water.”
Nathaniel’s father, Sumit Rai, has credited Williams’ quick actions with saving his son’s life.
“Gratefully, he’s alive. It’s a miracle,” Rai told The California Post. “I’m so grateful to that lifeguard, Ryder.”
“Two more seconds he gets thrown another 15–20 feet,” Rai added. “You can’t see him, let alone rescue him.”
After reaching shore, Nathaniel coughed up sand and remained in shock.
“My son told me that he drowned and my son told me that he went unconscious,” Rai said. “He was very subdued, still in a state of shock.”
For Williams, though, the dramatic rescue was simply part of the job.
Rather than calling it a day after the high-stakes rescue, Williams climbed back into his lifeguard tower.
“I returned to my tower after the rescue and continued to make safety contacts and ended up making more rescues later that day.”
Williams also emphasized that saving lives is a team effort.
“Together that day, we had many units on and all the tower staff.
All the towers are making constant safety contacts with the units driving through to support us.
Without working together, we would not be able to make many of the rescues we do.”
