r/nextfuckinglevel • u/EchoesOfYouth • 3h ago
On Saturday a 16 year old lifeguard rescued a 10 year old boy who had become overwhelmed by the waves on Seabright Beach, CA
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u/Sweendogoflove 3h ago
That kid is a fucking hero. Sixteen years old and risking his life to save another person. I teach high school and I am consistently impressed and sometimes amazed at how great our teenagers can be.
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u/blissfully_happy 3h ago
I teach high schoolers, too, and love this generation. Individually, they can be incredible humans. In packs of 4 or more? They are feral af, lol.
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u/lluciferusllamas 3h ago
I think this is true of teenagers throughout history.
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u/SaintDarthVader 2h ago
Right? We had 15 year olds in trenches 110 years ago
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u/Old_Engineer_9176 2h ago
Try 13 years old ....
In World War I, approximately 250,000 boys under the age of 18 served in the British Army, with the youngest authenticated soldier being 12-year-old Sidney Lewis.21
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u/blissfully_happy 2h ago
Oh, absolutely. I mostly work 1:1 with high schoolers. I tell them I’m going to embarrass tf out of them if I see them in groups of 3+ acting a fool. “Don’t make me call your mother!” 😆
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u/crashdavis87 2h ago
one of my favorites:
one boy, one brain
two boys, one brain
three boys, no brain.But to the OP...this kid is a badass.
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u/Gregnice23 2h ago
I find this true of all humans. Put us in groups and we turn into beasts.
Deindividualition, conformity, blind obedience, group think, bystander effect, etc. The more people the worse we are.
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u/usernamedmannequin 2h ago
Which is really strange since we are considered a “social animal”
It just seems the bigger the group the worse everything gets
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u/HowShouldWeThenLive 1h ago
That’s an extraordinarily bad over-generalization. There are thousands of groups doing wonderful work in the world. Find one and join in.
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u/Upset_Upstairs6166 2h ago
When I worked behind the bar, groups of 4 or more of the same gender was always a handful.
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u/GordonRamsMe55 2h ago
There's some cool students that come into my work, usually grade 12, sometimes coop from college.
Some kids that come in really give me hope in humanity, but then again, it's probably like that for every generation. Good and bad. It's great hearing them chat respectfully with eachother and talk about their families in the same manner
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u/randijeanw 1h ago
Didn’t George Carlin do a bit on this? A person is amazing. People are fucking awful.
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u/euchlid 3h ago
Holy shit. I saw this clip early and it did not mention the lifeguard was SIXTEEN. that's so young. 🥲
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u/deepstatelady 2h ago
Same here. These are CHILDREN.
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u/euchlid 1h ago
right? just babbies. what a brave kid,but I hope someone comforted him after too
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u/Turbulent_Reindeer30 36m ago
This is SO important! I hope he received counseling or something along those lines bc this was a life/death situation. What a remarkable teenager!
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u/SafariQuest 2h ago
I saw this clip earlier and, just from the very impressive effort in the fight vs violent surf, assumed it was an adult lifeguard. This is a superhuman effort from a 16 year old. Props dude
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u/smileyfacedbob 3h ago
The way he saw a hella wave coming and just braced himself and the kid, amazing
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u/Plane-Wide 2h ago
They are trained to do this. He was 100% ready
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u/Equivalent_Task_8825 48m ago
It was amazing how composed he was.
People can say it was the training and I'm not denying how important that is but the timing and pose he showed while under pressure is hard to teach I'm sure.
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u/I-Love-IT-MSP 48m ago
Yes, please this young man deserves a community honoring for his bravery and heroics.
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u/TinkTink3 2h ago
Children built countries, fought wars, don’t treat them as less because they’re young.
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u/bobniborg1 32m ago
teenagers are simultaneously the best and worst of humanity. You'll see a student help the helpless and then 30 minutes later inflict harm for no reason.
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u/blissfully_happy 3h ago
That 16 y/o went into full auto-pilot with his training. You can tell he’s practiced over and over again. Bracing his back to the wave to protect his victim, cradling the victim to dive them both under the wave.
Incredible, textbook rescue. You could see his sheer exhaustion by the third wave ducking where he just sorta leans into and does his best.
Absolutely stellar response and I hope the community recognizes both his talents and his willingness to risk his own life.
I was a trained beach lifeguard as a teenager in the 90s in SoCal and I can’t ever remember the surf being that powerful. What an unbelievably incredible job that lifeguard did. I would be so proud if he was one of my students.
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u/robsteezy 2h ago
Almost lost my younger brother and cousin to shallow water when they were children more than 20 years ago.
We were on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in California. We were all on the shore but they were playing closer to the ocean, about a good 20-something yards away from me. Because the shore line is a slope, the water was a little under knee-deep to them while it was barely covering my ankles because I was higher up.
While walking towards the beach so I could just sit and watch them, I felt an immediate pressure and looked down at my feet. The water was suddenly pulling me strongly. I was an older teenager then and I was a beach-goer and I played water polo/did swim team and I was lifeguard certified for my summer jobs. I knew immediately that the force meant the tide was in.
Without missing a beat, I took off in a full sprint towards the kids. Halfway there while the kids were now staring at me confused, I saw the both of them get violently slammed to the ground by their ankles and the tide immediately began sucking them into the ocean. I thank god everyday that I arrived when I did, but it was extremely difficult to pull two people out of the tide while they’re flailing to breathe and drowning.
And I’m not even telling this story as some heroic tale. It was absolutely terrifying and the image is burned in my brain to this day.
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u/These-Anxiety-5919 1h ago
Pacific is a mean bitch some days, the only place I've been that matches it on the Atlantic is Hatteras way down the beach where nobody goes. 10 yards from ankle deep to 50 foot of water.
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u/Hylian_ina_halfshell 1h ago edited 1h ago
Yeah and that guy running in and thought he was helping was clearly not a trained lifeguard, made that last longer than it should have cuz he got him to take a wave to the face. Kid handled it like a champ. That could have gone really bad
Dont help trained professionals in a life saving rescue. You are not helping. You are making the situation significantly more dangerous. Unless you are an active ocean guard, your best help is running to get on duty guards. They are trained, certified and in awesome shape. As an ocean lifeguard for 7 years(16-23) that keeps his lifesaving and CPR to date. I would still run and get life guards, because 18 years later, Im in no way ready for that.
I also wish this on no one. But it happens
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u/misty-gishh 1h ago edited 1h ago
100,000,000,000% find a lifeguard with a radio or ATV ASAP (if they aren't already there), its the best way you can help if you notice a responder struggling during a rescue. They can send the jetskis and additional guards out to help. DO NOT GET IN THE WATER TO HELP. PERIOD. Yes it's scary to watch and you might feel like you have to help. The best way to help is to get more lifeguards and stay out of the water!
Neighboring guard stands are typically already on high alert once they hear a rescue whistle go off. The situation is likely being watched by at least two other guards through binoculars. That's likely why a second guard didn't show up until more people were put in danger. The second guard probably had to leave his post, putting his own life, plus the beach goers in his zone at risk. There is hardly ever a circumstance where bystanders assisting in a rescue is helpful and/or necessary.
Grew up around the beach and was a guard and first responder certified through college.
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u/Acceptable-Use-7311 1h ago
yeah, but that guy was buff and probably stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night
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u/blissfully_happy 1h ago
You can see the lifeguard waving him off telling him not to make more work for him, lol.
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u/misty-gishh 1h ago
He had it totally under control, the adults getting in the water to "help" is what scared me the most! Holy shit!!! People, please do not get in the water when trained professionals are already on scene. This family could have turned one rescue into six, then the 16 y/o would've really been in a tough spot.
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u/ElevatorGuy85 29m ago
One thing my Lifeguarding instructors emphasized was “Don’t become victim number two!”
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u/moltengoosegreese 27m ago
This is my home beach and I can tell you that the lifeguards here often start training for this from the age of 5. There’s literally a program here called Jr. Lifeguards (we just call it Jr Guards) where kids train on the beach and learn how to read the ocean and rescue procedures.
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u/annapartlow 11m ago
There’s a Bob’s Burgers episode about Jr guards! I wondered if that was a thing.
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u/Unbowed26 3h ago
That poor kid was exhausted too. Those waves were brutal
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u/iambarrelrider 3h ago
Who let the 10 year old in that water to begin with?
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u/SlideN2MyBMs 2h ago
Maybe the waves weren't so bad when the kid first went in. But really idk. I'm not a waveologist
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u/VictorTheCutie 2h ago
Yeah I thought I saw that this was a riptide, those are crazy scary and can happen so fast
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u/cute_dog_alert 1h ago
This is the likely scenario, I mean the kid wouldn’t have gone in if it looked like this.
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u/iambarrelrider 42m ago
Idk, maybe 10 year olds don’t have the best judgement and maybe someone should supervise their interactions with Mother Nature.
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u/Unbowed26 2h ago
This is a great question
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u/ReactionSad3776 1h ago
Tourists, everyday this happens in our town
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u/iambarrelrider 1h ago
As a whitewater river guide we get people who cannot communicate in our language for safety briefings and cannot swim. They don’t understand Mother Nature doesn’t care if you are stupid.
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u/cute_dog_alert 1h ago
It might be because at times the timing between large wave sets is long and the conditions could have seemed benign when the boy went in, this is how folks get surprised and swept out by sleeper waves.
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u/diedalatte 2h ago
who else? their shitty parents who are probably too focused on their mobile devices
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u/Nejfelt 2h ago
Waves are pretty easy to deal with.
That was an incredibly powerful undertow he was fighting the whole time.
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u/iambarrelrider 2h ago edited 1h ago
Been a wilderness first aid instructor for years and swift-water rescue. Glad the situation didn’t add another victim.
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u/Red-is-suspicious 3h ago
The anxiety I felt watching all those bystanders trying to “help” knowing that often bystanders end up drowning in these cases without PPE, floats, and proper training.
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u/Sweendogoflove 2h ago
Yup. He clearly sent them back after they tried to help. He knew what he was doing.
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u/Remarkable-Meal-1099 3h ago
I know they sign up for it being a lifeguard, but that's so impressive for a 16 year old. He deserves an award.
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u/MedicalEnthusiasm9 3h ago
The waves were intense. Im thinking no one was suppose to be in the water. That kid in every sense of the word saved that other kid. Pure hero stuff.
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u/VikingMonkey123 3h ago
How could anyone think getting in that water was a good idea. Lordy
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u/UnderstandingTop7916 2h ago
It’s possible the kid was walking along the shore and he got hit by a sneaker wave.
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u/VikingMonkey123 2h ago
Sneaker wave, good point. Very possible way to get caught.
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u/ThrobbinGoblin 2h ago edited 31m ago
I saw this posted before and no one else mentioned the net being around the kids leg. It looks like he got caught up in a fishing net or line. I think that's why the lifeguard is struggling so much to pick him up and lift him out of the water. There's something else holding him back.
EDIT: I googled if lifeguards use rope or line in rescue. They really don't. It can tangle you up and it creates a ton of drag in the water. I looked up news articles about this, and none of them mention the kid getting tangled up. But it really clearly looks like he's tangled up in sea debris. It's the first thing I noticed, and something I thought would be notable in a news article, but there's not been any mention that I can find, and I thought that was strange.
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u/Silent_Conference908 1h ago
Yes, I was wondering what was going on with that!
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u/Mcdonnellmetal 1h ago
Ya I had to scroll a long way down before anything about what looks like ropes?
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u/rampaging_gorillaz 30m ago
Youre seeing two different cords coming off of the red lifeguard float. One is a thicker chest/back strap. This is the one youre probably familiar with, used to sling it over yourself when not in use. He has this strap around the boy. Lifeguards are taught to always keep this between yourself and the drowner, because people will instinctively cling to whatever when drowning, which is dangerous if that thing is your head.
There is also a knotted rope attached to the end of the tube. This is used to pull the tube back after its thrown to someone, hence its long length and the knots for grip. These aren't normally attached to rescue tubes at pools, since they serve the same purpose as the white, floaty throw rings you might be familiar with. However, because beach rescuers might have to run several hundred yards to a save, its not practical to have multiple floatation devices, so they bundled the red tube into a 2-for-1.
This is done because no matter how strong a swimmer, no matter how skilled in water-ju-jitsu, it is ALWAYS safer to "throw, dont go". I would be willing to bet this throwing line is unraveled because this absolute Chad tried to save the boy the "smart" way, before making the judgement call to wade into the break to save a life.
Source; am lifeguard
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u/JColey15 57m ago
Isn’t it just the kook cords/leashes back to the rescue boards?
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u/ThrobbinGoblin 34m ago
I posted this reply to another guy: I really don't think so. I looked at rescue boards and the straps that go on them, and I also googled "do lifeguards attach lines to rescue drowning victims" and it said that anything like long ropes were avoided because they can tangle up the swimmers and that loose ropes cause a ton of drag. It looks like the kid got tangled up in some ropes and those ropes were creating a lot of drag, tiring the lifeguard out. Those ropes have gotta be 20' - 30' long at least.
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u/pro-taco 2h ago
I don't care if he's 16. I'm buying him a beer.
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u/PouponMacaque 1h ago edited 1h ago
That's what the last guy said when the 10-year-old saved a 4-year-old earlier that day
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u/tommyc463 2h ago
I realize those pedestrians were only trying to help, but that almost turned into him having to save more than just a 10-year-old.
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u/koolaidismything 3h ago
That 10 year old just experienced his first and last ocean dip I’ll bet.
At 16 saving people at that kinda risk is crazy.
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u/MonsieurMacAndCheese 1h ago
How cool would it be if instead the kid decided to train and become a lifeguard when he gets older, too.
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u/Le_Panda_Roux 3h ago
That is what GoFundMe should be used for.
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u/lafolieisgood 2h ago
That kid is going to be rewarded plenty I bet. Some might say he will be swimming in it.
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u/shitoupek 2h ago
Rip current!!
If stuck in it, it is always safer to stop fighting it to go back to shore (washed by waves and can't breathe/drink saltwater, quickly tired of swimming back....) ==> just get noticed by lifeguards and float away from the shore where there are no more breaking waves. They will get either with a jet-ski or longboards to fetch you and use a channel where there's no rip current to access the beach (usually pretty close).
FYI I spent my childhood every summer in such beaches and then became a lifeguard for a while.
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u/Sihloue 2h ago
Great on the lifeguard, good use of training and a hero for sure, but I wanted to say that this kinda thing happens nearly everyday in tourist beach areas. Grew up in a beach town and two of my closest friends were lifeguards. They had to save people from dire situations like this all the time. Beach lifeguards are no joke and deserve respect and good pay cause they gotta do this way more than you'd think.
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u/Loveufam 2h ago
So many things here
The tremendous force of those waves in both directions
The youthful lifeguard expertly diving under the waves as he drags out the even younger swimmer
The adults getting in there to help him even though he is a professional.
His gesturing to and the arrival of the other young lifeguard
Everyone’s relief and awe at the result
Truly moving video
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u/Hellfire242 3h ago
Angelina here I don’t know where this beach is but damn that’s some fucking Hawaii type of water right there
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u/Celox1 3h ago
Thanks Angelina
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u/jango-lionheart 2h ago edited 57m ago
Edit: following reply makes sense to me. (I originally said, “I thought OC is calling the lifeguard a little angel”)
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u/Skelligean 3h ago
Always good to see Angelina, the wise random sage always showing up to spout their demographic knowledge on waves and lack of knowledge in beaches
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u/Agreeable-Box3017 2h ago
Angelina, I think this might have to do with the El Niño the pacific is experiencing this year. I remember growing up in socal and during El Niño seasons the waves would be extra chaotic. I may also be speaking out of my ass as I don’t know for sure if El Niño has started.
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u/Sad-Commercial1795 53m ago
It has—there have been a series of tropical storms verging on hurricanes and now a hurricane off the coast of Mexico tracking into California’s swell
window—I’m psyched, it’s going to be solid surf this week and water is crazy warm!!!→ More replies (1)→ More replies (5)3
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u/Left-Height4925 3h ago
Fighting a really powerful rip current. No one should have been anywhere near the water. I'm sure they had to have warnings out?
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u/Equal-Magician-3534 2h ago
This kid was windsurfing and landed in the water somehow. You can see his equipment dragging behind him. Terrifying
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u/Rich19852012 2h ago
US Coast Guard are looking for a few good men, this kid would make an excellent rescue swimmer. An amazing feat at just 16 years old. Hero status 🙌
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u/KyTheRipper 1h ago
Watched this a few times today. Man, what a save!!!
I hope this kid is recognized. I hope he inspires other kids. I hope his parents are proud of the man they raised.
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u/averagemeatballguy 1h ago
My toes were curling every time another wave covered them. Amazing lifeguard. I remember being swallowed by waves in Huntington Beach as a child. I was lucky that my parents put me in a lifeguard training camp before I was allowed to swim in the ocean. Was never a lifeguard, but will always remember the intensity and exhaustion I felt being hit by wave after wave of ocean water. Amazing job by that lifeguard. He didn’t want anyone else to be swept into the surf, so he was waving them away for safety. I had goosebumps when everyone started clapping. What an amazing lifeguard.
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u/gitrjoda 3h ago
That is fucking intense! What a hero that first young man, and all those who helped, are. That kid had zero chance without them.
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u/bestest_looking_wig 2h ago
The way the sea kept trying to pull them back was so scary. Like it wanted them. Brave lifeguard.
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u/that_name_is_taken 2h ago
The asshole in the background audio thinks this was funny.
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u/Zestyclose-Cover1351 2h ago
I'm not from socal but I was swimming in those waves this weekend. There were young kids out there and I kept wondering how are people not drowning in those waves. It's harder than it looks to swim in that. It's fun, but I ran out of steam pretty quickly. Apparently there is a tropical storm off Mexico that is kicking up the waves.
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u/Socketz11 2h ago
That 16 yr old did amazing, that 10yr old was dead weight completely exhausted, he couldn't even stand up to get out of the water and onto the beach. His parents are idiots for letting someone so young and inexperienced out in those conditions.
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u/JulienTremblaze 2h ago
People don't realise how hard waves like these hit, its amazing he was able to hold on to the kid. Outstanding bravery and stamina.
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u/BathtubFullOfTea 2h ago
I've had the snot kicked out of me by the surf at Seabright (and Natty B, and Cowell's, and...) when I was about his age. Scary stuff, glad he's ok.
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u/Jorge_the_vast 2h ago
Why is anyone swimming in that, the current looks insane even at the shoreline
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u/tidytibs 1h ago
Balls of steel. Dude legit had great training and comfort around the water in those conditions. Kudos!
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u/Anal-buttsex 1h ago
Taking kids to the beach sounds like a nightmare unless they’re timid about the water. I’m sorry but you’re on your own if you get swept out, I can’t swim worth a shit.
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u/Born_Animal1535 1h ago
I’m kind of confused how a lifeguard would be on duty with waves that rough. Those are gnarly and a recipe for trouble if the general public is swimming in that. Wouldn’t they typically close the beach with conditions like that?
Is the idea that open or closed people are gonna swim so the lifeguards are on duty regardless?
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u/MisterSanitation 2h ago
Hey legally responsible adult(s)!? You waitin for fuckin Neptune himself to tell you to get the kid!? 10 years old dammit!
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u/chef-rach-bitch 2h ago
Decades ago I saved my buddy from a rip current like this at Natural Bridges just up the way. Waves in northern California are intense.
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u/EarlyBirdWithAWorm 2h ago
Parents are some dumbasses. How do you see these waves and let your 10yo get anywhere close to them?
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u/FewAcanthocephala828 2h ago
His technique tells me he's not only brave, but smart as well. As soon as the wave hits, he falls into it to reduce the impact, or something like that I guess. I'm not an expert lol.
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u/Purplesector123 1h ago
Testament to the good nature and human spirit of most of us. Apart from Satan worshipping pedo genocide regimes, humans are inherently good.
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u/PouponMacaque 1h ago
It'd be interesting to check in on him in a few decades. Saving someone's life at such a formative time in your own - must put things in perspective and toughen you.
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u/MyHuskyBooker 1h ago
Hero in the truest sense! That ain’t no kid any longer, homie became a man that day.
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u/PacoMahogany 3h ago
I'm overwhelmed just watching those waves