By Brooke Park, Staff WriterJuly 27, 2026
Gift Article (SFChronicle.com)
The Independent Jul 28, 2026
Swimmers filled the water Saturday afternoon at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz. Then, suddenly, the waves began to surge violently, hitting the shore with thunderous strength.
One young boy was caught up in the surf.
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A rookie lifeguard in his first year on the job ran into the churning waters, while beachgoers fled the water and parents scrambled to find their children, according to Scott Vander Dussen, a Santa Cruz local who recorded a video of the beach rescue. In a roughly two-minute struggle with relentless, towering waves, the lifeguard — a teenager, according to Vander Dussen and media reports — helped pull the boy to safety.
“When those waves started crashing, the sound of them hitting kind of commanded everyone’s respect and attention,” Vander Dussen said. “When they saw the lifeguard run out, the whole beach began pointing. Everyone was staring. Let me tell you, I’ve never seen this. The whole water cleared out as if someone yelled ‘shark!’”
A rookie lifeguard rescued a young boy from intense waves at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz on Saturday.Scott Vander Dussen/Instagram @santacruznow
Aided by another lifeguard toward the end of the rescue, the lifeguard’s heroism — captured on video — was just one of 25 or so rescues Santa Cruz State lifeguards made along the coast that day, with three on Seabright State Beach alone, Vander Dussen said officials told him. Over the weekend, state parks lifeguards performed 34 rescues in the Santa Cruz district.
A beach hazards statement was in effect last weekend, and the National Weather Service has extended it through the evening of Saturday Aug. 1. Authorities warned of an increased chance of sneaker waves and strong rip current, with breaking waves as high as 10 feet. Seas can grow particularly topsy-turvy with storm activity in the ocean; in this case, the combination of wave energy following a storm near New Zealand, plus a hurricane near Hawaii, pushed up danger levels along the California coast.
About a dozen bystanders entered the surf to try and help the lifeguard save the boy, with one doubling back when he encountered the intensity of a crashing wave and another knocked down by the current before retreating, according to Vander Dussen.
“I don’t want to sound in any way unappreciative of the Good Samaritans who went out there to help, but I think most people didn’t understand what the lifeguard was doing,” Vander Dussen said. “Those waves are so intense. There’s only a brief window when you can make forward progress towards the shore, and the rest of the time, his job is simply to endure, hold ground.”
Bystanders should not attempt rescues themselves, California State Parks spokesperson Tyler Hersko said in a statement.
“Many cases have been made more dangerous by bystanders attempting rescues, putting themselves in a position beyond their abilities,” Hersko said.
The lifeguards ultimately pulled the boy, limp and exhausted, from the waters. First responders medically cleared the approximately 10-year-old boy, who was then able to sit up and talk, and he returned to his parent, Vander Dussen said.
Vander Dussen, who lives near the beach and has relationships with several lifeguards there, said the rescue prompted him to urge the community to support House Resolution 1188, which would express “support for the work of open water lifeguards as first responders and emergency response providers.”
The Pacific Ocean is very active right now, with unusual marine heat and an emerging El Niño providing extra fuel for storms.
Anthony Edwards contributed to this story.
July 27, 2026
Staff writer
Brooke Park is a Hearst Fellow covering breaking news and the climate and environment beat. She previously covered Bexar County government at the San Antonio Express-News and has worked at several major newsrooms across Texas, including the Texas Tribune, Texas Monthly, The Dallas Morning News and The Austin American-Statesman. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied journalism.
How to reach Brooke
Email brooke.park@hearst.com.