{"id":22677,"date":"2026-08-03T12:31:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=22677"},"modified":"2026-08-03T12:32:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:32:23","slug":"grateful-father-calls-sons-viral-beach-rescue-a-miracle-god-bless-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2026\/08\/grateful-father-calls-sons-viral-beach-rescue-a-miracle-god-bless-them.html","title":{"rendered":"Grateful Father Calls Son’s Viral Beach Rescue a Miracle: ‘God Bless Them’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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@santacruznow \/ Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A father is thanking God after his 10-year-old son survived a terrifying near-drowning in California, calling the dramatic rescue captured on viral video nothing short of a miracle.<\/p>\n

The harrowing video<\/a>, which has been viewed millions of times across social media, shows 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams plunging into rough surf at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz after spotting young Nathaniel Rai being pulled about 15 yards offshore by powerful waves.<\/p>\n

What followed was a tense rescue as Williams fought crashing surf to reach the struggling boy. Even after making contact, the danger wasn’t over. Waves repeatedly slammed into the pair, forcing the teenage lifeguard to duck beneath the water while keeping Nathaniel securely in his arms. Other rescuers soon rushed into the surf to help bring them safely back to shore.<\/p>\n

Nathaniel had been vacationing with his mother and 8-year-old sister while his father, Sumit Rai, remained at home. Later that evening, the shaken boy called his father to tell him he had nearly drowned.<\/p>\n

“Another two or three seconds, I don’t think my son would have made it,” Rai told CNN. “We’re just lucky, fortunate, because of Ryder and the other people that helped that he actually survived this.”<\/p>\n

The father said the situation was even more serious than it first appeared.<\/p>\n

“From what I gathered, he assumed he was going to die,” Rai explained. “He was drowning. He knew he was drowning. He blacked out. He went unconscious. When he came out of the water, he was clearly limp. It doesn’t look like he was breathing.”<\/p>\n

Despite the frightening circumstances, Rai sees God’s hand in what happened.<\/p>\n

“It’s a miracle,” he told The California Post.<\/p>\n

He also expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone who played a role in saving his son’s life.<\/p>\n

“God bless them and thank you,” Rai said. “I cannot express sufficient gratitude. There’s nothing more valuable to me than my children. So, to save one of them and their lives, I can’t thank them enough.”<\/p>\n

The experience has understandably left lasting emotional scars on Nathaniel. His father told the Associated Press that the boy continues to think about the ordeal and has struggled to sleep since returning home.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Williams has received widespread praise for his courage, though the young lifeguard has remained remarkably humble.<\/p>\n

He admitted the rescue was more difficult than he expected.<\/p>\n

“After the first wave, I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard,” Williams said.<\/p>\n

Rather than focusing on his own heroics, Williams pointed to the teamwork involved.<\/p>\n

“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely,” he said. “This is my job and I love what I do. I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day.”<\/p>\n

Stories like this serve as powerful reminders that acts of courage, compassion, and selflessness can become answers to desperate prayers. For one grateful father, the bravery of a teenage lifeguard and the quick response of those around him became the means through which God preserved the life of his son.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A father is thanking God after his 10-year-old son survived a terrifying near-drowning in California, calling the dramatic rescue captured on viral video nothing short of a miracle. The harrowing video, which has been viewed millions of times across social media, shows 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams plunging into rough surf at Seabright Beach in Santa…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":22679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages"],"yoast_head":"\nGrateful Father Calls Son's Viral Beach Rescue a Miracle: 'God Bless Them'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Father calls son's viral California beach rescue a miracle, thanking God after a heroic teen lifeguard saved the 10-year-old from drowning.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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