In the hours and days to follow, media made this story much bigger.
Coverage was on CNN and NBC Today Show, among others.
UPDATE: Update on Our Hero Lifeguard Ryder Williams, who is just 16 years old! Ryder says he refused to let go of the child because he knew the boy would almost certainly die if he did. Ryder’s father Shane “I almost started crying because how determined he was to save that boy’s life makes me so proud.” Shockingly, Ryder made ANOTHER rescue that day under circumstances MORE difficult than the ones seen on the viral clip, pulling 2 more people to safety. Ryder has proven to be extremely humble, stating he doesn’t understand all the attention because he was just doing what anyone else would. Several bystanders went against policy to help Ryder save the drowning boy, but the surf rebuffed them, and they retreated. Ryder’s parents attribute his incredible water skills to years of playing intense water polo, where he played the position of hole set, which means constantly fighting off opponents. His parents joked about being uncomfortable “with everyone trying to drown our boy”. Ryder and his family have been invited to the White House by President Trump, where Ryder will receive a civilian award