SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - An Oceanside junior lifeguard is being praised for his quick actions after a boat capsized near the jetty at Oceanside Harbor.
12-year-old Nathan Usher says he was out fishing with his family on Sunday when he suddenly found himself in the middle of a rescue mission.
“I’ve been a junior guard for four years, and they taught me a lot of this stuff — a lot of the skills that I needed for that situation,” Usher said.
According to Usher, five people were on board when the boat flipped over. He helped pull three of them to safety using techniques he learned from the city’s summer junior lifeguard program.
“One of them said, ‘How often do you guys do this?’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ She said, ‘How often do you rescue people?’ I said, ‘We don’t rescue people — we’re a fishing boat,’” Usher recalled with a laugh.
Despite the attention he’s received, Usher isn't taking all the credit.
“It makes me feel pretty good, but it also makes me feel that a lot of people think I did most of the work — but it was really everybody else that came together to help,” he said.
Two locals — Taylor Hamilton and Cody Harris — were out jet skiing nearby when they saw the overturned vessel and rushed to assist.
“We happened to come across the capsized boat, and we jumped into action,” Hamilton said.
“It was scary. When I saw them in the water, I just thought about my mom and my grandma and wanted to get them out as quick as I could,” Harris added.
The pair say what happened Sunday reflects the strong sense of community in Oceanside.
“You always see this community come together,” Hamilton said. “It’s something that I’m proud of — and one of the reasons why I’ll be here forever.”
Usher says he never imagined he’d have to use his training this early on, but he’s grateful he was able to help. It's just another step in his journey towards chasing his dreams of helping others.
