Little boy yelled one word as boat carrying his family of six capsized — what happened next stunned onlookers
In life-or-death situations, rescue often depends on courage and split-second decisions. A family of four children, aged between 3 and 9, and their parents were returning to Santa Cruz Harbor when their boat capsized near a surfing area. Unfortunately, only the kids had life vests on, while the parents did not. Unable to get to safety, the family struggled to stay afloat when an angel in the form of a surf champion appeared after he heard a child yell, "Help." What he did next saved the family from a great tragedy, as reported by KSBW on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
A family of six from San Jose was returning in their boat when it capsized near the lighthouse on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz on February 7, 2026. The family was immediately thrown into the water, where they struggled to stay afloat. As the family began to lose hope, one of the boys started yelling for help. His cry was heard immediately by former Mavericks big wave surf contest champion Darryl "Flea" Virostko, who was in the same spot as the family.
He immediately alerted other surfers, and they teamed up to help the family. According to PEOPLE, surf champion Virostko was shocked by the entire situation. "Crazy. Unbelievable, these small children made it out of this boat wreck," he said. Interestingly, the surf team also included 14-year-old Ian Anderson and Emilio, who were the youngest surfers in the group. "I looked over, and I saw a boat in the water, and then I looked in a different direction, and I see this kid floating in the water just yelling for help," revealed Anderson.
When the surfing community rushed in, they acted quickly to pull the family from the water. The surfers made sure all six family members were accounted for before bringing them ashore. "We had six people in the water very quickly on surfers' boards, and they were able to, they being the surfers, get them to the harbor boat and get them out of the water," explained a marine officer.
The sea was turbulent that day, with waves rising between eight and twelve feet. Harbor officials had advised the family against heading out under those conditions. Onlookers who watched the entire situation unfold were shocked that the family survived. Although the surfing community came forward to help, locals criticized the parents for not steering the boat when the waves hit. Steven, a fellow boater, said that an experienced boater would have taken a hard right turn. He noted, "And instead he went straight, and the waves literally picked him up, curled him over and threw the boat down, tumbling with the wave at the same time, because he chose to go straight ahead." However, one person who must be credited here is the little boy who decided to cry for help at the right moment, which alerted the surfers. The family received medical attention at a nearby hospital for minor cuts and bruises. Authorities in Santa Cruz have opened an inquiry to assess whether proper boating safety procedures were followed.
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