Benjamin Ramsay

A teenaged boy was swimming in Seattle’s Green Lake on April 21, 2021, when he submerged and did not resurface at a point about 80 feet from shore. His friend shouted for help. A 24-year-old tutor, Benjamin Ramsay, of Seattle, was on a paddleboard nearby and heard the shouts. Despite no visibility beneath the water’s surface and Ramsay’s poor swimming ability, upon seeing bubbles rising to the surface, Ramsay dove 15 feet to the bottom where he located the boy and grasped his arm. When Ramsay successfully pulled the boy to the surface, his paddleboard was no longer within reach. Ramsay positioned the unresponsive boy against his chest and backstroked toward shore. Ramsay was tiring quickly and he struggled to keep both their heads above water. A female paddleboarder nearby responded to them at a point halfway to shore. Ramsay grasped onto the board with one arm while still holding the boy. The woman leaned across her paddleboard and kicked until she reached shallow water while holding onto Ramsay and the boy. The boy expelled water during efforts to revive him and recovered after treatment at a hospital. Ramsay was cold and fatigued, but he did not require medical attention.