Automotive Technician

California Highway Patrol

5/4/1993

Special Act Award (Gold)

On May 4, 1993, at 4:45 pm, CHP Automotive Technician Steve Williams was off duty and had finished surfing at Manresa State Beach. He was walking up the cliff stairs when he heard a woman frantically yelling for help. The woman was gesturing toward a lone swimmer who was caught in the rip tide and was rapidly being carried away from shore. There were no other swimmers or surfers in the area. Without hesitation, Steve entered the white water and paddled his surfboard 75 to 80 yards toward the drowning man. Due to the adverse conditions, including five to seven foot waves, Steve was not able to see the drowning man while attempting to swim to his location. He had to be guided to the victim by a man on the beach,. After negotiating the approximate two knot current with two to three knot rips for roughly twenty minutes, Steve successfully reached the victim. He secured the exhausted swimmer to his surfboard, rested and brought him safely to shore. The entire rescue lasted over thirty minutes. Even once on land, the victim was not able to walk for some time. Steve had to drag him up the beach to recover.