Four surfers rescued a man caught in a rip current at Seaside Park Wednesday. 

“We walked up on our headquarters and saw a guy two blocks down 50 yards out caught in a rip current,” says one of the lifeguards.  

Joey Swaton, Daniel Moreno, Victor Bonato and Vincent O’Donnell work together as seasonal lifeguards and say rip currents are common even on calm days. 

At the time of the rescue, the friends were not working and there were no lifeguards on duty to warn about the current.  

“Instinct took over, I was with my best friends, and we got the job done,” says O’Donnell. “It took all four of us pretty much, and we were far out there, like 150 yards probably.” 

The surfers said that it was very close and that a matter of seconds could have caused the man to lose his life.  

It is important to remember to not go in the water with no lifeguards on duty if you are not trained. 

The rescuers never got the man’s name, but his wife was extremely grateful to them. At the end of the day, they were able to continue on with their surfing.