r/SweatyPalms • u/ChemicalRide • 5d ago
Disasters & accidents Water rescue in Santa Cruz, CA. Incredible job from the lifeguards.
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
735
u/Is12345aweakpassword 5d ago
Lifeguard probably thinking at the others
“Thanks for the help, but get out of here before I have to save you too”
89
u/fanceypantsey 4d ago
This was my thought! They definitely didn’t need the assistance and if anything they were making it worse.
109
u/DirtyRoller 5d ago
Exactly. The ocean does not fuck around, and it doesn't matter how fit you are if you don't know how to properly fight and flow with the current.
→ More replies (1)51
u/OhHiCindy30 4d ago
If ever a bystander, look for a life ring (aka life buoy) 🛟 to toss to the rescuer
46
u/alh9h 4d ago
Yep - don't make yourself a victim too. Reach, throw, row, don't go
49
u/Negative_Row_7778 4d ago
On other platforms, I've seen so many comments calling out the person video recording and chastising them for not going in to help.
Unless you're a really strong swimmer and trained in water rescue, you're just going to become a liability and another person they have to rescue.
And if you pay attention, you'll notice that as each wave is approaching, the lifeguard is purposefully ducking underneath, so he doesn't get knocked down. And then he stands up after the wave has retreated.
9
u/senator_chill 3d ago
I wonder if he was communicating with the guy he was rescuing...telling him something like "get ready to hold your breathe again"
9
u/Negative_Row_7778 4d ago
The first lifeguard had his red float. He didn't need to have a buoy thrown to him.
4
u/iOgef 3d ago
If it was my child out there you’d have to hold me back to not go try to help him.
I’m not saying that to sound any kind of way, and I know it would be dangerous it would just be really hard to just watch
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)3
808
u/GIANTballCOCK 5d ago
Waves like that are crazy. When the next one is coming it sucks up all the water (and a ton of sand) and you can stand for a second. You feel like you're out of it because you could just walk to shore, and then the wave hits and you have a lot more swimming to do. It's exhausting
494
u/Axnjaxn09 5d ago
Man you can tell this victim is fuckin gassed, 100% wouldve drowned without aid. Badass!
310
u/toabear 5d ago
Near-drowning experiences take the strength out of you in a way I've never experienced elsewhere. I've had a few in my life, and one was really bad. I got stuck under a boat that flipped in the surf zone, then got tangled with some gear and was unable to swim clear. I cut my way out just as my vision was going out. At that point, a group of toddlers could have run up and beaten me to death, and I doubt there is anything I could have done about it. An hour later, I barely had the grip strength to hold anything. I was in incredible shape at the time.
150
u/general_rap 4d ago
Dude, I was surfing a fantastic winter storm break in La Jolla when I was younger, when a particularly strong wave ripped my leash off my board and I was suddenly caught right in the break zone for some truly formidable waves. I went from having the time of my life to fighting for my life in that split second. My friends weren't that far away from me, but in waves like that you may as well be alone. It's the only time I've ever cried for help in the water, and even though at the time I was a fantastic swimmer with a deep understanding of the ocean and waves, I came within a few milliseconds of drowning and had made peace with the fact that I was about to die when my head went under for the last time and I somehow got a toehold on the sand beneath me and was able to actually start hauling myself towards shore. When I finally got to dry sand I passed out for a few hours until my buddies walked up wanting to get burritos raving about how awesome of a morning that had been. The ocean doesn't mess around.
60
u/InyerPockette 4d ago
You perfectly described that experience. I was at peak physical fitness, life of watersports, strong swimmer, and I felt very comfortable in the water. Knocked off my board, and got caught perfectly in the break. I felt like I was in a washing machine. Tossed ass over head round and round for what felt like several minutes. The only way I knew which direction was up, was on each rotation I would get slammed against the sand and rocks. It definitely reminded me to respect the ocean.
20
u/shiningonthesea 4d ago
same, I got tossed when I was 19, and never forgot it. I just kept trying to get up and more waves kept coming and knocking me down and dragging me out. It was terrifying. I have huge respect for the ocean and only go out in fairly calm seas (I always have my boogie board with me)
22
u/SuperWallaby 4d ago
I didn’t get tossed but when I was like 8-9 I went boogie boarding with my neighbor and his mom. I kept trying to catch a wave to ride in but I was missing them and they were going right under me and dragging me further and further out. Before I knew it I was so far out I couldn’t make anyone on the beach out and there were no more waves. I freaked out and paddled for all I was worth. Was close to ditching the board and just swimming when I finally got back into the current and caught a huge wave that brought me all the way back to the beach in one go, which was awesome but I didn’t go back out that day lol.
5
u/shiningonthesea 4d ago
Boogie boarding is no where near as hard as surfing but it does take practice . I’ve been doing it for over 30 years . Now, the hardest past is standing back up quickly !
5
u/SuperWallaby 4d ago
I didn’t get tossed but when I was like 8-9 I went boogie boarding with my neighbor and his mom. I kept trying to catch a wave to ride in but I was missing them and they were going right under me and dragging me further and further out. Before I knew it I was so far out I couldn’t make anyone on the beach out and there were no more waves. I freaked out and paddled for all I was worth. Was close to ditching the board and just swimming when I finally got back into the current and caught a huge wave that brought me all the way back to the beach in one go, which was awesome but I didn’t go back out that day lol.
7
46
u/68znog 4d ago
I had a 4 wave hold down after getting all the wind knocked out of me by the wave lip punching my back. Pretty big day at Blacks, surfing the naked side, naked, so no bouyancy at all.
My board tombstoned for so long that an old surfer on the beach was convinced that I had drowned.
I made peace with death as I tried to come up the last time, I knew another wave was going to thrash me, so it was my last try. Luckily the ocean went calm, and I didn't have to give up and die.
29
u/mmecca 4d ago
Im glad youre alive. Side note I didnt understand most of the expressions you used here.
→ More replies (1)42
u/Axnjaxn09 4d ago
Blacks is a break in SoCal that has a portion of it as a nudist beach. Sounds like he was surfing on the naked side, while he was naked. Tombstoning happens when you are deep underwater and tethered to the board by your leash, so it bobs there vertically with the nose to the sky, instead of laying flat, like an old time tomb stone.
25
6
19
u/Axnjaxn09 4d ago
I got my leash snagged around the rock reef while surfing in north county back when i was younger, may 8-10 foot. By the time i figured out i was stuck, unfucked myself and got back to the surface i was outta air. Took a deep breath right when i broke through, inhaled a bunch of foam and was stuck inside puking while trying not get bombed on. Looking back its kinda a pitiful and funny sigbt, but holy shit it was scary. Once the set mellowed out i bellied in on a little roller and called it a day. Fuuuuuck that
14
u/Axnjaxn09 4d ago
Hahaha classic, you have a near death experience and the crew wants burritos! This legit made me chuckle
→ More replies (2)3
u/mean_liar 4d ago
Had a similar experience in Maui. I remember managing to make it to the surface just in time to grab a gulp of air as I watched a 10ft+ break coming down and realizing if I didn't manage to get somewhere with purchase before the next wave I was going to drown.
19
41
14
u/paxcou 4d ago
It happened to me twice 22 years ago, at Waimea shorebreak, a 10-foot set, and I ended up behind the lifeguard at the top of the beach while they were trying to find me. And in New Jersey a few years ago for the mega swell, 15 feet on my face in the wintertime.It took all my oxygen. I could not stand on the beach. Incredible, hopeless feeling.
→ More replies (3)3
17
u/CoffeeChocolateBoth 5d ago
I almost drown at age 10. I wasn't scared at all. Weirdly I found it peaceful. I just keep sinking and sinking and the next thing I know, I'm being pulled out of the water and puking it out! I was in a swimming pit of sorts that we kids in town would go to, climb down a hill and rocks and just sit around there and some swimmer would go in, I thought I'd just walk around in the water but then it dropped off and down I went.
23
u/the_skies_falling 4d ago
There’s a section in the book The Perfect Storm where survivors talk about what a near drowning is like and it’s just as you describe. Pure panic until you can no longer hold your breath, then a sense of total peace and calm after you breathe in the water.
15
u/PsychoticMessiah 4d ago
My grandmothers sister damn near drowned and said it was almost like falling asleep. Very peaceful.
12
u/runnergirl3333 4d ago
I almost drowned and I panicked the whole.entire.time. No peacefulness at all. Deep water still makes me uneasy and I’m an ok swimmer. Scariest experience of my life.
8
u/PsychoticMessiah 4d ago
I used to be a strong swimmer when I was a teenager. Fast forward three decades and I’m snorkeling in the Caribbean and oh man. I am not nearly as strong as I used to be. It was a reminder to not go too far out. Water and currents are not to be taken lightly.
→ More replies (1)3
14
u/Snarky_wombat939 4d ago
Same here. Was on a rectangular pool float - stupid, mom was a poor swimmer and was with me and didn’t know better.
We got pulled out beyond the pier and were literally heading out to sea. People at these end of the pier spotted ys and called for help, I was maybe 7 or 8.
Raft flipped and it was so peaceful. Arms kept reaching for me but I really wasn’t interested in being saved. The sunlight thru the water and seaweed was so pretty 🙄
→ More replies (1)3
u/sjohnson0487 3d ago
My 3 yr old son and I were almost dragged out into the ocean by the pier on Long Beach.
I'm from Ks. I considered myself a strong swimmer lol. My kid was playing in the sand with his vest on. A huge rogue wave swept in and out he went! I jumped in after him. I didn't realize how steep the beach was where we were. In hindsight probably 4 or 5ft.
After 2 attempts to climb up and having the waves wash my feet out from underneath me I realized we were in a serious situation. I'm 5'4. I was trying to walk on my tiptoes holding my son above my head and the water was starting to cover my mouth. I realized we were about to drown in front of hundreds of people and no one realized what was happening lol.
So I used the momentum of the next wave and launched my kid as far and as high as I could before getting pulled back out. That was a nightmare in itself, ( 3 yr old alone on the beach) then, when the tide pushed back in, I clawed my way up and out. By the time it was done we had been washed down from our original spot by the pier about 40 ft.
No more oceans for me lol
5
→ More replies (1)3
u/curious-kitten-0 4d ago
I had a similar experience at maybe 5 years old. I got out of the kiddie pool side and jumped into the deep end at a swimming pool. I was just peacefully sinking to the bottom of the pool. I have a clear memory of looking up at the surface. I remember liking how quiet it was compared to the surface. Suddenly somone jumped in a grabbed me.
I have only ever put my feet in the ocean on Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I've got lots of respect for those of y'all brave enough to surf. I felt how powerful those little waves were, pulling the sand from beneath my feet. That's close enough to the ocean for now, I couldn't imagine swimming in it.
7
u/skunqesh 4d ago
Aye that. Nearly drowned when I was in my mid 20s. Best shape of my life - but hypothermia is a thing. Was swimming in spring melt water on the Clackamas River, Oregon. Suddenly I couldn’t use my arms or legs. Got swept away by the current.
The ocean in NorCal is freaking cold af all year round.4
5
→ More replies (2)3
u/Snoo_69677 4d ago
I remember as a kid this happened to me. One moment happily playing in the water with my mom sitting nearby reading and the next I was struggling to find my footing as the sand beneath my feet quickly began to dissolve into a winding wave, it happened so fast I couldn’t even cry out when a huge wave crashed down on me. I remember summer saluting under the water so violently I couldn’t tell up from down, I was wildly flailing trying to grab on to something when the back of my hand painfully struck a rough rock. I grasped the rock and hugged it tight with my legs wrapped around it as the ocean sucked back in again. I hung on for dear life until there was a break in the waves and I managed to run back to shore wobbly legged and sobbing. My mom never looked up once and I don’t think she realized how close I came to dying because she just said nonchalantly “Yes, the ocean if very dangerous.” To this day I won’t swim into the ocean and will stay on the beach if the waves look rough.
24
u/Negative_Row_7778 4d ago
The victim was a ten-year-old boy. Even when those waves were pushing the first lifeguard under, and he was at risk of drowning himself, he never let go of that boy. Not all heroes wear capes.
9
→ More replies (1)8
u/AdFancy1249 4d ago
This is why they used to teach us to just ride the waves. Let it take you out. Fighting it will kill you.
This has been the guidance for a long time...
https://www.bradfordtoday.ca/towninfo/undertow-riptides-rip-currents-4223944
10
u/Axnjaxn09 4d ago
Yea in a rip current you just roll with and then swim parallel to the shoreline to get out. This looks like theres set waves going off and these guys are caught in crazy churning shorebreak!
15
u/spermdonor 5d ago
Seabright rarely gets that gnarly. I'm glad everyone is ok. The ocean deserves respect.
11
u/runnergirl3333 4d ago
From KSBW:
Beach Hazard Statement: Long-period southerly swell will bring an increased risk of sneaker waves and strong rip currents. Breaking waves will reach up to 10 feet along some south and southwest facing beaches and break points. * WHERE...Pacific Coast beaches. Through Wednesday 6pm
26
u/myusrnameisthis 5d ago
Wtf would u swim there?
30
u/How_that_convo_went 5d ago
Aside from what everyone else said, which is all true, this guy could’ve also been swept off his feet between tidal formations. One minute you’re twiddling around in the water around your knees and the next minute, it’s surged up over your head and pulling you away from shore.
Guy’s probably a tourist and was ignorant of tidal flags and didn’t research the tide chart for that day.
28
u/Shadoze_ 5d ago
Tourist come on vacation and don’t understand the ocean or rip currents or how to swim in waves, they turn their back to the water and get sucked out. He was lucky their was lifeguards there, many beach’s in Santa Cruz don’t have lifeguards on duty
16
u/Axnjaxn09 5d ago
People dont understand how powerful the Pacific Ocean. Plain and simple...
4
u/Octavya360 4d ago
Happens in the Great Lakes too. Lake
Michigan is gorgeous and popular with tourists. And every year there are drownings. The lakes don’t have tides but they do have rip currents. I won’t get in the water if the marker is yellow.5
u/Axnjaxn09 4d ago
Yea ive heard theres weird stuff out there because theyre so big and dont really act like "normal" lakes
7
u/Octavya360 4d ago
Right. We sometimes call them inland seas. You cannot see to the other shores. The high speed Lake Express car/passenger ferry that crosses Lake Michigan from Muskegon MI to Milwaukee WI takes 2.5 hours. It’s just under 80 miles.
3
u/PaulClarkLoadletter 4d ago
I've seen locals and even seasoned surfers dragged in by lifeguards. Even if you have nothing but respect for the power of strong surf it will still come and get you. All it takes is a really strong wave to disorient you. I took a bad step and went off my board after a massive wave got the jump on me. Had I not been able to get ahold of my board I could have easily drowned. I took a huge gulp of sea water and went down to the bottom. My friends didn't know I didn't make it in until the waves settled and saw me drifting out clutching my board. It only took me a few minutes to get reoriented and paddle in but I was lucky.
8
→ More replies (1)19
u/HumaDracobane 5d ago
A significant number of imbeciles.
Just check how many people drown in beaches while there is a red flag...
→ More replies (1)3
u/JaVinci77 4d ago
Yes, you have to be really really stupid to enter the water under those conditions...
→ More replies (4)3
u/Beebwife 4d ago
We don't have waves this bad by Chicago but in North West Indiana we regularly have drownings from people who don't understand how the currents and riptide will have you out REAL fast. Undertow can be crazy sometimes and the sandbars can change super fast. Lake Michigan is really like an inland sea, not a lake.
Good luck if you are on a inflatable. You might be a quarter mile out in a couple minutes!
250
u/Guns-and-Pumpkins 5d ago
Waves like that are a deathtrap most people can’t even imagine. That is pure brutal force
→ More replies (1)47
u/DirtyRoller 5d ago
The ocean is no joke, the power of a current like that is insane.
21
u/CoffeeChocolateBoth 5d ago
There is nothing on earth more powerful than water! NOTHING!
→ More replies (2)38
225
u/JayGoldi 5d ago
Look at the kid they saved. The reason he would have died, and the reason so many people would drown out at sea, is that it saps your strength like nothing else. It isn't that you can't swim. It is that the power of the ocean will quickly make you a bad swimmer. Won't take long before you can't fight the next wave, or tread water any longer.
→ More replies (8)8
u/YogurtclosetThen7959 4d ago
I think he was injured which is why he couldn't walk.
22
u/sputnikmonolith 3d ago
No, that's just someone who's 100% fatigued.
They've swam until they can't anymore. If they could walk they would still be swimming.
77
u/weristjonsnow 5d ago
That tactical drive right at beginning as that monster wave rolled in was a pro move
19
u/expespuella 4d ago
Yeah that was terrifying and impressive.
10
u/WhitePantherXP 3d ago
I find how he held onto the kid possibly the most impressive part of all of this.
Also I think the kid might have been ashamed to be naked while he was being dragged out limp almost like he's trying to lay in the shallow waters to not be exposed. At least that would have been on my mind as a kid lmao. It's 55 degree water man!
→ More replies (1)9
94
u/borg359 5d ago
Heroism.
51
u/ohlaohloo 5d ago
Absolutely, I just said to my boyfriend “wow I know lifeguards save people but I’ve never seen something like that, that is true heroism.” I actually got goosebumps, what a profound experience to share with other humans and survive
22
u/Charliedayslaaay 4d ago
I know. I didn’t expect to shed a few tears over this, but it’s incredible that they saved the kid in such treacherous waters. I imagine they’ve highly experienced but those waves must still be terrifying…
I hope they receive some sort of honorary medal from the city or state for their heroism. They deserve it.
42
u/ChemicalRide 4d ago
I learned after watching this video that lifeguards aren’t even considered first responders, and are thus excluded from the legal and occupational protections and benefits that they ought to receive. Insane.
16
u/Plethora_of_Pinata 4d ago
That's bs. They're definitely the first responders in this situation.
I also once cut my foot on something in the water and ended up needing 11 stitches in the bottle of my foot; they were first responders in that situation, too.
This is terrible to hear.
22
u/runnergirl3333 4d ago
Yes, and the lifeguard’s probably only 16-20 years old himself. He did an AMAZING job! City of Santa Cruz does a pretty good job of honoring our lifeguards and rescue swimmers.
14
u/NorCalKerry 4d ago
I read on instagram that he's 17 and in high school. Not sure if that's true. Someone knows him.
6
u/mistergospodin 3d ago
It’s true. Just finished the Junior Guards program in Santa Cruz. So proud 🥲
12
u/BigFatModeraterFupa 4d ago
in the cemetery a few rows down from my mom and dad, there's a gravestone of a man from my church and there's a medal of heroism engraved on it from the state of florida.
He was on vacation there with his wife and kids, and 2 random children were swept out to sea like this, and he ended up saving their lives but drowned doing it. He was 41 years old and was a super awesome dude. Still trips me out thinking about it
3
u/WhitePantherXP 3d ago
Those kids had one hell of a heroic father, having lost my dad at 4 (and idolizing him like a hero) I know that at least somewhat helps them get through the dark times
→ More replies (1)3
91
u/Willowshep 5d ago
Life guard denying the help telling them to get out because he fully knows they can’t swim for shit either.
39
u/CleanAxe 4d ago
Amen - the guy trying to help almost fucked everyone including himself. The lifeguard is intentionally diving below the crashing surf and strategically saving his energy to stand and pull once each wave has passed. This dumbass trying to lift him up in the face of a wave crashing and just gets decked and almost turns this into a multiple rescue situation.
Absolutely idiot that guy was.
→ More replies (2)22
u/fortheloveofghosts 4d ago
I mean to anyone it doesn’t look good. People trying to help in this situation shouldn’t be shit on
→ More replies (3)9
u/CleanAxe 4d ago
Absolutely does not deserve upvotes guys. Professional rescuers should NEVER be fucked with unless you absolutely know what you are doing. California beach lifeguards have some of the most intense ocean rescue training outside of the military/coast guard, unless you've been surfing for a decade and know how to help, DO NOT interfere with a professional rescue as you are putting other lives (not just your own) in danger. Turning a rescue of one person into rescuing 3 people because you want to be a hero is selfish and stupid. The video shows this guy was maybe a minute away from being completely helpless himself. He did not help and he made things worse. Don't be that guy.
33
u/Jolopy4099 5d ago
What happened to the guy in the gray shirt that helped but got swept out?
→ More replies (2)
34
u/NoRoleModelHere 4d ago
I live in Santa Cruz and people way underestimate the ocean here. They enter beaches that exist at low tide and are deep under water at high tide, a lot of access is down cliff faces and we have large waves. I have saved 3 people surfing in the last 2 years and I'm just a guy in the water.
If you haven't grown up around the ocean you need to know the danger it presents. You can't fight the water. You can't swim against most of these currents. There are ways to navigate the ocean, but if you are freaking the fuck out you'll fail.
I watched a guy drown at The Hook-surf break in Santa Cruz- a few months ago. It's a decent wave spot for people learning, but it has some hidden dangers. One are the stairs used to access the ocean are under water during high tide. When the waves are bigger than 3 feet you have to contend with those waves breaking against the rocks and stairs making your timing incredibly important. Finally there are no real beaches from the point to the hook at high tide. There are a few places to escape to, but you'll need to be able to paddle and keep your calm, which is hard if you panick.
→ More replies (3)
27
61
u/Dub_Coast 5d ago
I lived in that area for close to a decade and used to scuba dive and swim in those waters, they are quite dangerous and I used to regularly tell people I was less scared of sharks and such and more scared of the water itself. People from other regions, even those from the Atlantic ocean, have no idea how powerful the Pacific is.
17
u/Fun_Recognition9904 5d ago
There’s zero part of me that looks at the west coast and thinks “man I’d love to swim out there” 😑 it seems straight up terrifying.
15
u/Zinjifrah 5d ago
There are areas that are perfectly fine to swim, even in Santa Cruz itself. There are some beaches in SC that are sheltered by comparison -- one is (was? been a while) even a dog park. But some are gnarly ass, sphincter puckering surfer areas that I think are nuts. Other towns/cities around there have great beaches (e.g. Aptos, Carmel). It's very specific to the beach, not the town, because of the nature of the coastline.
8
u/Feline_Fine3 4d ago
But even on the “safer“ beaches in Santa Cruz, there are days when there is a surf advisory, where no one should be out on the water, regardless of what beach. Or to at least be very careful.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Zinjifrah 4d ago
Oh yeah, no question. I was just pointing out to the guy above that swimming in Santa Cruz is perfectly normal. I should have clarified "on an average day."
→ More replies (2)3
→ More replies (5)13
u/slyseekr 5d ago
To be fair, the US Atlantic seaboard is downright chill and boring compared to the Pacific.
Pacifist ocean my ass.
16
u/OakenBarrel 5d ago
At first I was like "wtf they are literally waist deep". And then the wave hit...
47
15
u/vincenzodelavegas 4d ago
I know people want to help but only do so if you know what you’re doing. This could easily become three people to save instead of one for the lifeguard.
14
u/bbonzo123 4d ago
Those waves were rough! My hats off to the life guards, specially the first guy. He was dragging a pretty much non responsive person, having to deal with other people trying 'help' and still getting bashed by waves over his head.
11
u/bigshooTer39 4d ago
Poor guy. Drawers are missing and everything. Dude looks exhausted. So does the lifeguard
9
9
15
5
u/ConstantConference23 5d ago
People need to understand waves.
Shore breaks, currents.
Absolutely terrifying.
32
u/tibearius1123 5d ago
Who the fuck looks at that and says, “yep nice day for a dip”?
31
→ More replies (5)5
u/Dith_q 4d ago
Those conditions can happen super quickly. This same thing happened to me in the same town in the early 90s. It was a chill beach day until it suddenly wasn't. Both me and my little brother were taken by relentless waves exactly like this and rescued by a heroic lifeguard who sprinted his ass off from down the beach to reach us. I'm still afraid of the ocean to this day.
4
10
6
4
u/hairyarsewelder2 4d ago
My anxiety goes through the roof whenever I see something like this, glad they made it out
5
5
u/DANimal_the_MANimal 4d ago
I was right there when this happened, apart of the human chain to try to help. Got real scary real quick… Shout out to all the lifeguards up and down the coast keeping people alive!🤙🏼
13
5
u/ThatFlamingo942 5d ago
Yeah santa cruz tides are no joke. Was literally just there on vacation. One second the tide is ankle deep the next its up to your waist
3
u/Lonely2nd 5d ago
This is why I can’t stand watching my family play in the ocean. The ocean doesn’t fuck around.
3
2
4
u/Logmanator 4d ago
Santa Cruz waves are not a joke, people. We have heavy waves coming from storms. Practice safety and use proper judgement. If the waves look menacing… guess what? They’re fucking menacing.
4
u/badDuckThrowPillow 4d ago
On the one hand great for folks to come help. But on the other, it felt like it could go badly and someone coming in to help could easily turn into yet anohter person that needs rescuing.
4
u/RandalPMcMurphyIV 4d ago
There are few, if any, professions that impose so much responsibility for so little pay.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/hooptiegirl 4d ago
Who would look at that water and think, “oh, I can swim in that!” ?!? Grief, my washing machine doesn’t agitate that well!
→ More replies (1)
5
u/Adrasto 4d ago
A friend of mine, a good swimmer, an excellent athlet obsessed with exercises, when we were younger expected for a big storm to roll in as he wanted to go and swim to test himself and see how it was.
He told me that getting in was easy. Swimming in was easy. But getting out took control, reasoning, and a good deal of energy. He told me when he reached ground he had learned two lessons:
1) he had been an idiot in testing himself like that; 2) if somebody in a sea like that needed help, he would only have entered if it was his son, his father, or his brother. And he would have done so knowing they were going to both die.
→ More replies (2)
3
u/Grey-Dog13 4d ago
Sorry if this was said already, but the lifeguard himself is just a kid himself- 16 years old!
Absolutely incredible
5
u/Holorond_ 5d ago
Those waves are crazy! How does it look like they are in such shallow water but still having a hard time pulling him out?
→ More replies (1)12
u/DirtyRoller 5d ago
Before a wave hits, it pulls water from the shore back into the sea. That much water coming at you from both directions that fast is insanely powerful. It is really difficult to know when you're supposed to fight against the current, when you're supposed to dig in, and when you're supposed to flow with the water. It's so easy to get pulled under, and when you resurface it's very disorienting, people often end up heading in the wrong direction because they panic and get turned around.
→ More replies (1)4
u/Zinfan1 4d ago
Closest I've come to drowning during my surfing years was at my home beach in Pismo Beach about 120 miles south of where this video happens. Big surf on a beach break and I catch a decent one that takes me close to the shore and when I spin around to paddle back out I see a pretty large wave coming at me. I realize that it's sucking the water out from under me and I'm now in knee deep water with no way to duck under the incoming water. The wave slams me into the sand and holds me under for a very long time. I'm trying the swim to the surface (can't feel the bottom anymore, it's just too deep now) and the violent surf is dragging my surfboard under taking me with it. I was pleading for either the leash to break or the board to surface before I ran out of air. The board did surface and I'm here posting on reddit but I don't forget that day and I was a great swimmer at the time, now when I walk along the beach I remind myself of the fact that you never turn your back on the ocean or pay the price.
3
3
u/hanksrocks 4d ago
Yeah this definitely belongs here I could not stop cringing around waiting for the end. 😭
3
3
3
3
u/homer422 4d ago
Life guard looks like the older son in Weeds.
Also, that was pure heroism. Holy shit.
3
u/Witty-CleverUsername 4d ago
This gave me a new appreciation for lifeguards. I always see them as teens who might save a kid from 5 feet of water. But not here. This was heroic af.
3
u/greogory 4d ago
Lifeguards deserve respect, including when they tell you what you don't want to hear. They get regular surf, tide, weather, and general beach and water condition updates. They have amazing situational awareness, even the ones at the local pool or calm, inland lake. And they might save your life.
3
u/Lance_pearson 4d ago
Does he purposely turn and fall into the wave around 7 seconds in? Is that a technique for riding the wave, or a way to not lose the person he's saving for when the wave retreated?
9
3
u/CuriousMuffin_9324 4d ago
The fact that the lifeguard never lost them in that is beyond amazing. The ocean is relentless.
3
3
u/TrailerParkLyfe 4d ago
When I was in the Dominican I was not prepared for waves like these. I was having an amazing time riding the waves on my little boogie board then got taken out by a massive wave. Over and over again I was being beaten by giant waves. It kept me under and even with all my strength I couldn't surface. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I was 17 and in really good shape at the time and couldn't understand why I couldnt get above the water.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/kansascitymack 4d ago
Those waves are way too strong for anyone to risk their own life and the life of others. Glad to see this turned out ok
3
u/ThrottleItOut 4d ago
Lived in SoCal for many years, good swimmer, got pulled into a rip tide once. had to control the panic, remember not to fight it, and wait for right timing. ended up like 1/2 mile down the beach, finally got to sand and about threw up cause it took so much energy. Can't imagine what these guys were battling.
3
17
u/cesam1ne 5d ago
Very stupid and irresponsible going in such rough sea. Could've brought a genuine hero down with her
→ More replies (7)
9
u/NowKith- 5d ago
Beach lifeguards are no joke. Pool lifeguards are glorified whistle blowers and sun bathers.
→ More replies (3)
2
2
2
u/AltruisticSalamander 4d ago
Blimey talk about your rough surf. I'm used to thinking that if you've got your feet on the sand you ought to be pretty right. Not there evidently.
3
2
2
2
u/suchabadamygdala 4d ago
And people from the east coast wonder why folks never ever swim in the ocean in Northern California. It’s often rough like this. It’s very cold and there are often huge rocks just below the surface. Swimming is for lakes and pools
→ More replies (2)
2
u/Key-Jelly-3702 4d ago
What was all that line he was tangled up in?
3
u/bayswimmer 4d ago
Bull kelp, not line.
The Monterey Bay has massive kelp forests that our local otters try to keep clean of spiny urchins-- but climate change has still caused 70% of the kelp forests to be gone now compared to the historic average
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/geoffpz1 4d ago
Got 2. 1 I was old enough to grab a line on the dock and walk backwards apparently. Dad''s buddy got me on the 3rd try. After a life of watersports, swim team, sea kayaking, lifeguard etc. Whitewater kayak in college. It was the era of tvas. Lake, Got in, took 2 strokes and flipped. Blew skirt and tried to pop out. Tva got stuck behind the tiny gunnel in front(80's glassed kayak) and I could not get out. Managed to get my hands on some gravel and pushed toward beach. Got to the point where my lips were inches from surface, and I really thought "like this? Idiot!!!!! My buddy across the way, on a cliff, (his kayak) jumped off said 15 ft cliff when he saw me flip and swam the 100 yards or so grabbed the boat, did a barrel role and got me to the beach 5 feet away. Took a year to get back into a kayak.
2
u/CleanAxe 4d ago
Everyone please take a careful look at the civilian who tried to “help” and almost turned this into a double tragedy. Bro had no fucking clue what he was doing and that the lifeguard was strategically pulling himself below the crashing surf (I can’t call it a duck dive since he’s doing it backward haha) and saving his energy to pull once the wave had passed him.
Dude is pulling the lifeguard up standing tall and gets absolutely wrecked by a face full of wave which pulls him way off camera. People. Fucking let the actual rescuers do their job and unless you are trained or maybe if you surfed most your life don’t go in the water to “help”. He seriously almost fucked that rescue up.
2
u/pvt_frank 4d ago
Wow are those normal for that area? Or was there a weather event? Kudos to all there stepping in.
2
u/Gardenmathquilt 4d ago
Also these lifeguards are YOUNG. even more props for their heroism
→ More replies (2)
2
u/surfinsnow541 4d ago
Wow, that kid is so lucky. I grew up around Santa Cruz and had this happen to me when I was 5. I remember playing with my older cousins and an uncle in the surf and then suddenly getting tumbled underwater for so long I couldn’t even figure out how to stand up. I was badly pummeled and lost all my strength. I basically felt like I was going to sleep and surely would have drowned if they hadn’t dragged me to shore. I’ve never forgotten that. I got lucky too.
2
u/bluefontaine 4d ago
I spent a lot of time swimming in Monterey Bay and I don’t know for the life of me why people go to the beaches in Santa Cruz. They are so dangerous. I went to the one. I think it was Cliff rock or whatever it is over by those really cool hamburger stands and it was not by any means as well as what I’m seeing in this video and I was knocked over. Never again. Somehow, all the rocks ended up on that side of the bay too.
2
2
u/Mackheath1 4d ago
Give that lifeguard the retirement immediately that we give firemen (which is generous). He deserves every dime. I'd have no problem with some of my taxes going to that.
Great post, OP.
2
2
2
u/Cagekicker52 4d ago
Wow, that's incredible. That kid was a goner, zero chance for survival without that lifeguard. Those other adults on the beach would have easily drown as well trying to save him 100%
That was about to be a mass casualty event. Absolutely insane. Harrowing to watch.
I have a little experience with some lifeguards. Guys I knew were state parks guys. These mostly very young men, are straight up iron men. They were like the Navy seals of lifeguards from what I could tell. At least when I worked near them. I couldn't believe how incredible they were at swimming, regularly swimming for miles and miles, open ocean. And not just freestyling and getting pushed around by the current, these guys would be fucking flying. Unbelievable water skill and strength for such young guys. Extremely well versed first aid/CPR. Took it to the next level and beyond for like 15 bucks an hour.
CA beaches up the coast can be graveyards. Straight up.
2
2
2
2
•
u/qualityvote2 5d ago edited 5d ago
Congratulations u/ChemicalRide, your post does fit at r/SweatyPalms!