Surfer Rescues 11-Year-Old Swept Out to Sea After Fall From Cliff

A surfer scrambled down a cliff and into the ocean to rescue an 11-year-old boy who was swept out to sea, sheriff’s deputies said.

The boy, Daniel Lackey, was released from Community Hospital in Monterey on Friday.

Daniel had been playing on the rocks at Big Sur when he fell off a cliff shortly before noon Thursday, Monterey County Sheriff’s Sgt. John DiCarlo said. The current carried him about 150 yards from shore, authorities said.

The boy’s mother flagged down surfer Brendan Wahl, 40, who raced down the side of the cliff and into the water. He pulled the boy onto his surfboard and brought him to shore.

Daniel was taken to Community Hospital. Afterward, the boy’s mother gave Wahl a hug and wished him a Merry Christmas.

“He just jumped out and got his surfboard and went off to help,” Susie Lackey said. “He’s awesome. A hero.”