OC man reunites with lifeguards who rescued him and 2 children during powerful rip current in Newport Beach

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. () — An Orange County man who was pulled from a powerful rip current this month reunited with the two lifeguards who saved him and two children, one of more than 500 rescues made in a 10-day span amid strong swells along the Southern California coast.

Marcelo DeFreitas said he and his 12-year-old son, along with his son’s 12-year-old friend, were caught Sunday in what he described as a rip current “like a monster pulling him underwater” near Upper Jetties.

“I would say that was a near-death experience,” he said. “I couldn’t swim anymore. If he would have got to me maybe five seconds later, I probably wouldn’t have been above water because I was just exhausted. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t catch my breath. It was very overwhelming.”

DeFreitas, who lives near the beach and is typically comfortable in the ocean, said he felt confident going in with the boys to body surf despite the recent strong surf. But the waves quickly intensified.

“We go out there. The waves are normal. All of a sudden, a four-foot wave turned into a six-foot wave. Six-foot wave turned into bigger and bigger. By the time we got hit I think the wave was probably close to 10 to 12 feet,” he said. “Hit us again, and then by the time I came up I looked and we were so far away from the shore. I’m like, ‘oh son we’re in a riptide.'”

As he tried to keep the boys calm and stay above water, Newport Beach lifeguards Caden DeVincenzo, 20, and Mason Graf, 18, spotted the three being swept out.

“It was a pretty hefty rip for sure,” DeVincenzo said.

Graf said the pair rushed into the water as a large set of waves rolled in.

“Right as we were running down there they just started getting swept out,” he said. “So me and Caden jammed out there.”

The lifeguards battled the surf and currents and reached the group, clipped them in and brought them safely back to shore. DeFreitas recalled thanking them as they immediately returned to duty.

“I’m like, ‘hey where are you going?’ And they’re like, ‘We got to get back to our post,'” he said. “I’m like, ‘all right well thanks for saving our lives.'”

DeFreitas later thanked them in person.

“You guys are amazing,” he told them during the reunion. “I wanted to make sure you got the recognition you deserve because I know you don’t.”

DeVincenzo said rescues like this are why he became a lifeguard.

“I really enjoy helping people,” DeVincenzo said.

Graf added, “It’s literally the best job in the world. Can’t ask for anything more.”

The rescue was one of more than 500 made by Newport Beach lifeguards in a 10-day period this month. DeFreitas said each number represents someone risking their life for another.

“They’re true heroes,” he said. “They saved our lives, you know? It was intense. I’ll never be able to thank them enough, you know, but I’m standing here because of them or I wouldn’t have been able to.”

DeVincenzo and Graf suggest checking in with the lifeguards when arriving to the beach, be aware of the condition flags posted on lifeguard towers, and if you find yourself in a rip current, stay calm and swim parallel to the shoreline before swimming diagonally back to shore.