President Donald Trump posted to X Tuesday that he would bring the teen and his family to the White House and give him a "High Civilian Honor."
The rescue at Seabright State Beach near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was captured on video by witness Scott Vander Dussen, who said he watched a lifeguard rush into the water to help the boy.
"I saw the lifeguard just run straight out into the water, and, you know, he dove in, setting fear aside," Vander Dussen said.
Video of the rescue shows a lifeguard battling powerful waves while working to bring the boy to safety. According to Vander Dussen, conditions appeared to change rapidly.
"And I think in this situation, the young man was already out there. I don't think he was bargaining for this. It looked like those waves changed quickly, and he just got overpowered and swept out," he said.
PREVIOUS STORY: Heart-pounding video shows intense waves as lifeguards rescue boy in Santa Cruz County
At one point, beachgoers attempted to assist but were also hit hard by the waves.
Officials with California State Parks released a statement Tuesday providing more details on what happened.
In the statement, they said a California State Parks lifeguard saw the boy lose his balance and get knocked down by a wave. The child was swept approximately 15 yards offshore.
One lifeguard made contact with the boy until another entered the water to assist.
Vander Dussen described the lifeguard's efforts to keep the boy from being pulled back into the water.
"The lifeguard just had a gorilla grip on that young man, held him from getting swept back out," he said.
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The rescue was one of at least 34 reported over the weekend in Santa Cruz County as massive swells pounded the shoreline. In this case, a second lifeguard helped bring the boy safely onto the beach.
"They were trying to help, but then ultimately another lifeguard was able to assist, and I think the two of them did the lion's share of the work," Vander Dussen said.
All involved made it safely to shore. Vander Dussen said the outcome could have been much different without the lifeguards' actions.
"If the lifeguards were not out there, it would have had a different ending. He was in desperate need of help, and those two lifeguards went in and did what needed to be done," he said.
The video above is from a previous report.
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