"Another two of three seconds, I don't think my son would have made it," said Sumit Rai, the father of the rescued 10-year-old, Nathaniel.
Rai said he received a phone call Saturday night that he never expected. His son, Nathaniel, who was vacationing in California with Rai's wife and 8-year-old daughter, told him he had been involved in a drowning accident earlier that day.
"We're just lucky -- fortunate, because of Ryder and those people that helped, that he actually survived this," Rai said.
According to Rai, Nathaniel lost consciousness during the incident.
RELATED: Heart-pounding video shows intense waves as lifeguards rescue boy in Santa Cruz County
Heart-pounding video shows intense waves as lifeguards rescue boy in Santa Cruz County
"From what I gathered, he assumed he was going to die. He was drowning. He knew he was drowning. He blacked out. He went unconscious. When he came out of the water, he was clearly limp. It doesn't look like he was breathing," Rai said.
Nathaniel survived thanks to the actions of 16-year-old Santa Cruz lifeguard Ryder Williams. Fellow lifeguard, Aaron Bohnen, and others also helped during the rescue.
The approximately two-minute incident at Seabright Beach was captured on video by Scott Vander Dussen.
"If the lifeguards weren't there, it would've had a different ending," Vander Dussen said.
Rai expressed gratitude to everyone involved in saving his son's life.
"God bless them and, you know, thank you. I cannot express sufficient gratitude. There's nothing more valuable to me than my children. And so to save one of them and their lives, especially at such a young tender age, you know, which is such a premature way to lose someone. I can't thank them enough," Rai said.
Williams has since received praise from across the country, including from President Donald Trump, who has invited him to the White House to receive a civilian honor.
RELATED: Trump invites teen lifeguard to White House after rescuing boy from massive Santa Cruz waves
Congressman Jimmy Panetta, who represents Santa Cruz, called Williams' actions remarkable.
"We are very proud of this young man and his first rescue, and are grateful that his inspiring actions were caught on video so that the world gets to see what our amazing local lifeguards do on a daily basis in Santa Cruz," Panetta said.
Rai said Williams, Bohnen and the other people who assisted during the rescue all deserve recognition.
"I think he deserves every medal and award and honor that's possible. So does Aaron, you know, everyone that helped, the good Samaritans," Rai said.
Nathaniel continues to recover from the traumatic experience and remains in California, Rai said. Reflecting on the rescue video, Rai said he remains grateful for the lifeguards and bystanders who stepped in to help.
"If I was watching that video, I wasn't sure if he'll make it if I hadn't seen the end of it. And I wasn't sure, honestly, if the lifeguard would make it out with those conditions. I'm just so grateful that Ryder and others were there to help pull him out and save his life. Otherwise, I can't imagine what life would look like today," Rai said.
Lifeguard Ryder Williams releases statement after Santa Cruz surf rescue
Sixteen-year-old State Park Lifeguard Ryder Williams released a statement Wednesday after he and fellow lifeguard Aaron Bohnen rescued 10-year-old Nathaniel from the waves at Seabright State Beach on Saturday.
Officials say Williams was working Tower 2 and "making safety contacts all day due to the large crowd and heavy surf."
Williams' full statement here:
"I was at the waterline 15 yards downcoast of Tower 2 making a safety contact when I looked up and saw a child about 20 (yards) up from the tower lose his footing in ankle deep water. I radioed it in, threw my radio and sunglasses at the base of my tower as I ran toward the kid. I put my fins on my wrist, popped my buoy and entered the water to get ahold of the child. Due to the volatility of the water, I was unable to tube up the victim. After the first wave I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard. There were two to three more waves before lifeguard Aaron Bohnen entered the water to help me. There were bystanders who jumped in to try to help, and I yelled at them all to get back to shore.
Once Bohnen and I got the kid to shore I was instructed to get the med bag from Bohnen's unit and we assessed the child. Shortly after, I got back into my tower where I returned to provide lifeguard services for the rest of my shift.
I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely. This is my job and I love what I do. I'm thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day."
California State Parks said its Santa Cruz District lifeguards performed 34 rescues over the weekend:
This includes all rescues performed both on and off department property. There were over 5,000 preventative contacts made that also resulted in countless other rescues avoided along the coastline.