Quick Take:
Sumit Rai, the father of Nathaniel Rai, the 10-year-old boy from Texas who nearly drowned this weekend at Seabright Beach amongst rough ocean conditions, said he’s been trying to reach out to Ryder Williams, the lifeguard who saved his son, so he can thank him personally. Rai said Williams should get every honor and medal possible for his bravery.
Sumit Rai did not sleep for several nights after finding out that his 10-year-old son Nathaniel had nearly drowned at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz last weekend. He tossed and turned, thinking about what life would have looked like if his son had been in the water just a few seconds longer.
“It’s really, really scary to watch what happened there and think that I could have woken up the next day and he would have been gone,” Rai said. “I’m so grateful to Ryder and the others that helped.”
Currently living in Dallas, Rai said his son was with his ex-wife and 8-year-old daughter on a trip when Nathaniel got swept away by the strong currents. He said it was very overwhelming to learn about the incident from so far away. His son told him about it on the phone that evening, before the video of him being saved by 16-year-old rookie lifeguard Ryder Williams went viral.
Rai said his son told him that he had become unconscious in the water, and Rai said based on the various videos he watched of the incident, it looked as though his son was not breathing. He estimated that his son was moments from death, because the strong currents could have taken him 15 to 20 feet out into the sea in mere seconds. The experience was traumatic for Nathaniel, his father continued.
“When I first spoke to him, he was in shock – I could tell,” Rai said. “He’s having some bad dreams around this because this is traumatizing. I’m sure his sister is also traumatized – she’s eight years old and observed the entire incident.
Saturday’s rescue was one of about 34 that Santa Cruz County State Parks lifeguards were involved with from Friday through Sunday, mostly due to the hazardous beach conditions, which are projected to continue through Saturday afternoon.
Rai said the lesson to be taken from this experience is that “water is a force of nature, and you’re not going to beat it.”
Although that doesn’t mean avoiding the waves altogether, he continued, it does mean being thoughtful and respectful of the signs, the hazards and the weather conditions.
In his everyday life, his son is a very calm, disciplined child, Rai said. He has studied martial arts for much of his life, and has even won U.S. Open Jiu Jitsu World League gold medals in Gi and No-Gi simultaneously. He also likes to play chess and video games, and is best friends with his younger sister. He has a special interest in Egyptian history, his dad said.
“He’s a great kid, and everyone who knows him thinks he’s a great kid,” Rai said.
Rai said he has been trying to get in touch with Williams and his family so he and his son can thank him personally for his bravery, and although there are people trying to arrange a meeting between them, it has not been set up yet. He mentioned that he saw that Williams had been invited to the White House to receive a high civilian honor, and said that he deserves every award or recognition medal possible for his heroism.
President Donald Trump also mentioned on Truth Social that he might want to invite the boy who was saved to the White House, too, and Rai said he would be honored to attend if they are invited.
“I would absolutely want to be there to support Ryder, as he’s recognized and acknowledged for his heroism, courage and bravery,” he said. “I’m sure Nathaniel would want to be a part of that as well, he’s very grateful for what he did.”
Rai’s son and daughter will return to Dallas on Sunday, and Rai said he cannot wait to hug them and understand more about the incident and how it occurred.
