Hero lifeguard, just 16, invited to White House after saving child from certain death in violent waves

A teenage lifeguard has been invited to the White House after pulling off a breathtaking rescue of a young boy who was dragged out to sea by a sudden wave at in California.

The dramatic incident took place at Cypress Beach on Saturday, with the whole ordeal caught on camera by photographer Scott Vander Dussen.

The young lifeguard, just 16, who has chosen to stay anonymous, threw himself into dangerous waters to save the child from powerful ocean currents.

Mr Vander Dussen, who filmed the entire rescue, told the Mail he was blown away by how quickly the teenager reacted.

The sea had been relatively peaceful for most of the day, but conditions turned treacherous without warning when a so-called sneaker wave slammed into the shore.

"He was just sucked out," Mr Vander Dussen recalled.

"We then saw the kid's head bobbing up and down" roughly 200 metres from the beach, he said.

Within moments, the lifeguard threw himself into the ocean and battled through the surf to pull the boy back to shore.

The photographer spoke to both the lifeguard - who he described as "incredible" - and the boy once they were safely back on the sand.

Remarkably, the teenage rescuer simply caught his breath and carried on with the rest of his shift.

The young swimmer, thankfully, escaped without serious injury.

He was back on his feet shortly afterwards and was checked over by paramedics before being handed back to his relieved parents.

He was back on his feet shortly afterwards and was checked over by paramedics before being handed back to his relieved parents.

Mr Vander Dussen's footage spread like wildfire across social media, racking up millions of views and earning widespread praise for the 16-year-old.

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On Tuesday, Donald Trump revealed he would be inviting the lifeguard to the White House.

"We're going to bring this heroic young man, and his family, into the White House with, perhaps, the boy he saved, to give him a High Civilian Honor," the President wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"Very brave, he deserves it!"

Mr Vander Dussen admitted he feared the worst as the boy's ordeal unfolded in the water, but was grateful for what he called the teen's "absurd" heroics.

The photographer, who lives just streets away from the beach and knows the local lifeguards well, described the 16-year-old as a brilliant athlete with a talent for water polo.

"It's his first year on lifeguard patrol, it was unbelievable," he added.

Although the young hero managed to complete his shift on the day of the rescue, he had to be taken off duty the following day after becoming something of a local celebrity.

"He had so many people wanting to thank him, so they took him off" his shift, Mr Vander Dussen explained.

With a White House visit now on the horizon, the photographer said he's simply glad the whole episode ended well.

"I'm glad it has a positive spin," he said. "Hopefully we can capitalise it into something positive."

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