加州巨浪卷走男孩，少年救生员舍命救回，父亲跪谢

The father of a 10-year-old rescued from pounding surf off the California coast in a dramatic scene captured on video says he is beyond grateful to the teenage lifeguard who saved his son.

He ran into that water despite those conditions that are deadly. You have 10 foot waves; you have riptides and currents coming in, Sumit Rai told The Associated Press on Wednesday. It is not safe for him to go into that water. So hes risking his own safety.

Rais son Nathaniel was standing in shallow water when he was pulled into the ocean Saturday by powerful swells that suddenly came ashore at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz, about 60 miles (about 100 kilometers) down the coast from San Francisco. Rai, who was in his home city of Dallas, said he heard about what happened when his kids called him that night.

My son told me that he drowned and my son told me that he went unconscious, he said. He was very subdued, still in a state of shock.

By the next morning, Rai had watched the video of the rescue that has since caught the attention of President Donald Trump .

Ryder Williams, 16, the lifeguard who saved Nathaniel, said he saw the boy lose his footing in ankle-deep water. He radioed in and then raced toward Nathaniel.

After the first wave, I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard, he said in a statement.

California State Parks, which employs the lifeguards at that beach, said the boy was swept about 15 yards (13.7 meters) into the ocean before the lifeguard made contact with him.

In the video, Williams can be seen diving into a coming wave while holding tight to the boy.

Another lifeguard jumped in to help, along with some bystanders, who Williams said he warned to go back to the shore.

Im 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. Im thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day.

The boy had no serious injuries, and after an medical evaluation he was released to his family, the California State Parks said in an emailed statement.

Rai said his son told him that he got sand in his lungs and was coughing it out after getting to the shore. Now his son, who is expected back from California in a few days, is dealing with the psychological effects of what happened.

Hes still been thinking about it a lot. Its on his mind, he said. It bothers him when hes sleeping. So its obviously traumatizing.

Rai has reached out to Williams and said he hopes to be able to thank him directly.

What he did, I can never ever repay, he said. Im forever grateful.

一名10岁男孩在加州海岸的汹涌海浪中被救出的惊险场面被视频记录下来，男孩的父亲表示，他对救下儿子的青少年救生员无比感激。

苏米特·拉伊周三对美联社表示：'他在明知致命危险的情况下冲进水中。当时浪高10英尺，还有离岸流和涌浪。这种情况下入水非常不安全，他是在拿自己的生命冒险。'

雷伊的儿子纳撒尼尔周六站在浅水区时，被突如其来的巨浪卷入海中。这股巨浪突然袭击了圣克鲁斯的西布赖特海滩，该地位于旧金山沿岸以南约60英里（约100公里）处。当时身在达拉斯家中的雷伊表示，当晚接到孩子们的电话后，他才得知此事。

“我儿子告诉我他溺水了，还说他当时失去了意识，”他说，“他情绪非常低落，仍处于震惊状态。”

次日清晨，拉伊已经观看了这段救援视频，该视频随后引起了唐纳德·特朗普总统的关注。

16岁的救生员赖德·威廉姆斯（Ryder Williams）回忆称，他看到纳撒尼尔（Nathaniel）在没过脚踝的浅水中失足跌倒，随即用对讲机呼叫支援并冲向男孩施救。

他在一份声明中表示："第一波浪头过后，我没能把他拉上来，因为他已经浑身瘫软，而且浪头冲击得实在太猛烈。"

负责管理该海滩救生员的加州州立公园部门表示，这名男孩在被救生员接触前已被海浪卷入海中约15码（13.7米）。

视频中可以看到，威廉姆斯紧紧抱着那个男孩，纵身跃入迎面而来的海浪中。

另一名救生员和一些旁观者也跳入水中施救，威廉姆斯称自己曾警告这些旁观者返回岸边。

“我很庆幸有机会将孩子安全送回他的家人身边，”他说。“这是我的工作，我热爱我所做的事。我感谢我的救生员同事们，他们每天都在进行这样的救援。”

加州州立公园部门在电子邮件声明中表示，这名男孩并未受重伤，经医疗评估后已交由家人接回。

拉伊表示，儿子告诉他上岸后发现自己肺里进了沙子，一直在咳嗽。目前他儿子正承受着此事带来的心理阴影，预计几天后将从加利福尼亚返回。

“他仍在反复思考这件事，始终难以释怀，”他说道，“甚至在睡梦中也会受到困扰。显然，这给他留下了心理创伤。”

拉伊已联系威廉姆斯，并表示希望能当面致谢。

“他的恩情，我永生难报，”他说道，“我永远感激不尽。”