All it takes is one extraordinary moment turn an ordinary person into a hero.
Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait got that chance earlier this month when he witnessed a boy struggling in a rip current close to the rocks outside his oceanfront condo in Laguna Beach.
“I’ve never heard that kind of panic before,” he said. “I instinctively ran downstairs and grabbed my surfboard.”
Tait got into the water, fully clothed, and moved toward the boy as fast as he could. The boy was able to grab onto Tait’s surfboard and get to safety just before lifeguards arrived.
“Thank goodness he sprang into action,” said Orange County Lifeguard Chief Jason Young. “It can be pretty dangerous to swim there. There are several reefs offshore and strong rips.”
Tait says he’s a little “embarrassed” by all of the attention he’s received.
“Anyone who surfs would have done it," Tait remarked. "He was in serious trouble and panicking but I don’t know if I saved his life.”