President Donald Trump plans to invite a teenage lifeguard from California State Parks to the White House.
The rookie lifeguard, along with his family and possibly the rescued child, may receive a high civilian honor.
The recognition follows a viral rescue at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz.
Footage of the lifeguard braving dangerous surf to save a struggling boy has been viewed millions of times online.
Local residents expressed pride in the young lifeguard's quick action.
"It's the buzz around town and obviously all the hype around the invite to the White House, that's pretty exciting," said Santa Cruz resident David Buckalew.
Buckalew noted the teenager deserved public praise for performing effectively under hazardous conditions.
"He did a great job and he definitely deserves to be commended and recognized," Buckalew said.
Officials Praise Training and Caution Public
State and city officials emphasized that the dramatic save demonstrated the rigorous training state personnel undergo. "It's great to see our lifeguards working.
It's what we train them to do," said Tyler Leamer, a California State Parks peace officer lifeguard.
The incident coincided with an exceptionally heavy weekend for area emergency services.
Between Friday and Sunday, city lifeguards pulled 29 people from the water as high surf coincided with large weekend crowds.
"We had that combination of great weather, large crowds, weekend day and that really large swell," said Anaiis Moise, a marine safety officer with the Santa Cruz Fire Department.
Moise pointed out that the video illustrated the physical challenge the guard faced while navigating the surf zone.
"If you saw the video, you saw how many waves that lifeguard had to duck under before there was enough of a lull for him to be able to get him up on the beach," Moise said.
With hazardous conditions expected to persist, officials urged beachgoers to exercise caution and swim near guarded stations.
"We're expecting the swell to continue into the end of the week and the beginning of the weekend — we're going to see those waves still coming through," Moise said.
First responders recommend consulting on-duty lifeguards directly about localized rip currents and hazards before entering the water.
