The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How four teen surfers rescued two swimmers
The four teenage friends were riding 5-foot waves in the choppy Northern California ocean for about two hours recently when they stopped for a brief rest in the water on their surfboards. That was when the frantic cries for help started.
The high school soccer players peered through the fog about 100 feet across Trinidad State Beach and saw two heads dipping in and out of the cold ocean, arms flailing. “We all looked at each other and knew these guys were about to drown,” said Narayan Weibel, 16, who along with his friend Spenser Stratton, 16, took part in a summer junior lifeguard program. Weibel and Stratton, with their friend Taj Ortiz-Beck, 15, quickly swam over to the swimmers, a pair of brothers ages 15 and 20. The fourth friend, Adrian York, 16, a certified lifeguard, raced to shore to get a bystander to call 911.
When they reached the swimmers, the fog thickened around them. Ortiz-Beck helped hoist the younger brother on his board, he said. Stratton and Weibel worked together to help the 20-year-old, who they estimated weighed between 250 and 300 pounds.
“We told them, ‘Calm down — we got you!’ ” said Weibel.
York, who had made it back to the shore and instructed somebody there to call 911, jumped back into the surf to help OrtizBeck get the 15-year-old ashore. They paddled the brothers several minutes back to safety on the shore.
The inexperienced swimmers had been out for some afternoon fun on Veterans Day when they ventured too far into the ocean and a rip current swept them into deep water, said Dillon Cleavenger, 27, a lifeguard and trainer for California State Parks who was among those who responded to the 911 call. “When we get a call like this one, it’s usually too late by the time we get there,” he added. “People can get hypothermia and drown out here in seconds.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind those guys would have drowned without their quick intervention,” said Cleavenger. “To find out they’ve been through our lifeguard program — we’re all really proud of them.”
When the boys reached shore, they made sure the distressed swimmers were still breathing, said York. After medics arrived, the exhausted brothers were looked over again, then went home, he said. The teenage rescuers said they never got their names.
“I can’t say enough about what these boys did,” said Cleavenger. “They were willing and prepared to risk their lives.”