OCEANSIDE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Saturday in heavy surf, 12-year-old Nathan Usher’s fishing trip turned into a rescue mission.
“We heard on the radio there was a capsized boat in the harbor mouth,” said Usher, who’s a Junior lifeguard.
And as Nathan’s vessel got closer, they noticed two people on jet skis helping those who went overboard.
Enter Cody Harris and Taylor Hamilton, who were planning an afternoon of heavy surf tow in surfing. The two watermen rushed into the crash site, pulling the ladies out of the surf. Some of them were on top of the boat, while others were between the rocks and the boat.
Five women in their 60s had been hit by a sweeper wave and rolled in a center console fishing boat, which was pushed right next to the rock jetty.
Hamilton acted as rescue swimmer and Harris handed off the patients to 12-year-old Usher, who was using his junior lifeguard calm and first aid training.
Usher elevated and dressed a leg wound, stopping the bleeding.
As more rescuers poured on the scene, the danger had passed. The boat was lost, but the five women were saved and a handful of capable watermen were trained for something they didn’t know was coming.
It’s a story everyone involved will remember for the rest of their lives. The women are expected to recover.
