Baywatch cast honors teen lifeguard who rescued boy from California surf
Baywatch reboot star Stephen Amell presented the show's lifeguard jacket to 16-year-old Ryder Williams, who went viral in July for saving a 10-year-old boy from powerful ocean waves.
A California lifeguard has received a special tribute from the makers of the upcoming Baywatch reboot after footage of his ocean rescue spread widely online. Stephen Amell, who plays the lead role in the new series, personally presented 16-year-old Ryder Williams with one of the show's signature red rescue jackets.
The presentation took place at a bar built for the production to resemble the show's fictional hangout, The Shoreline, and was filmed for a social media video released by the production on Friday. Amell told Williams his actions were extraordinarily brave, while noting that for the young lifeguard it seemed to be just another day on the job. He jokingly invited Williams to visit the bar once he turns 21, but said he was welcome to stop by sooner.
The rescue
Williams saved 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai on 25 July after the boy was swept into the Pacific Ocean by powerful swells at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz. Video showed Williams diving into a large wave with a rescue tube, grabbing the boy and holding on until fellow lifeguard Aaron Bohnen arrived to help bring him to shore. The footage, captured by local photographer Scott Vander Dussen, quickly spread online.
The rescue drew widespread emotional reaction, including from the boy's father, Sumit Rai, and from President Donald Trump, who wrote on social media that Williams deserved a high civilian honor. Sumit Rai said his son briefly lost consciousness in the water before being rescued.
Williams works for California State Parks and later appeared in an agency video urging beachgoers to check ocean conditions and consult on-duty lifeguards. The weekend of the rescue, the National Weather Service had warned of dangerous waves and rip currents linked to distant tropical cyclones. Williams returned to his post after the rescue and took part in additional rescues later that day.
The original Baywatch series, starring David Hasselhoff, was among the world's most-watched shows from 1989 to 1999, and a feature film adaptation was released in 2017.
