The fact that Olivier Eustache is alive and able to thank his rescuers is nothing short of a Christmas miracle.

Nearly 20 fellow bodyboarders, surfers and first responders filled the San Clemente City Hall chambers earlier in the week to receive official recognition for their heroic lifesaving actions, handed plaques and the gift of gratitude for their quick-thinking efforts that saved Eustache’s life – the bodyboarder pulled from the wild water during a big swell at T-Street on the holiday.

“All of you are true heroes. You all worked as a team to save a fellow waterman,” said Marine Safety Chief Rod Mellott, who recounted the rescue before handing out the awards. “Without everyone’s effort, we wouldn’t be here today with Oli. You’re all heroes and deserve the recognition.”

Angels at the beach

Eustache was born on a French island in the Caribbean. But he says he was also born again in San Clemente on Dec. 25 after dying while waiting for waves in the ocean, then resuscitated by rescuers on the sand.

The Rancho Santa Margarita resident has become a familiar fixture among the tight-knit group of bodyboarders who frequent the waves just south of the pier at the T-Street beach, a place he said he’s found kinship in the water.

One of those friends is Randy Cummings, whose white hair is distinct even from a distance on live surf cameras that show waves at this spot. Though Eustache doesn’t remember much from that morning, he recalls checking the cams, knowing he’d have a friend in the water after seeing Cummings’ bright white hair.

So while his wife, Sandrine, and son, Noah, 18, slept, Eustache snuck out to catch a few Christmas Day waves.

The swell was big, with waves upward of 6 feet, and messy with a strong current. There was only one other person in the water just 20 minutes before Eustache paddled out, Cummings recalled.

Cummings was just finishing his session when he saw Eustache paddling out, so he decided to chat with his friend while he waited for one last wave.

“I’m tired,” Cummings said.

“I feel tired, too,” Eustache responded.

“Merry Christmas,” Cummings said.

“Merry Christmas to you,” replied his friend, just before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed into the water.

Cummings said he rushed to his side and screamed for help, cradling Eustache’s head above the ocean’s turbulent waters.

Two surfers and former lifeguards nearby, Luke Overin and Daniel Richens, and local pro surfer Kade Matson, rushed to help pull Eustache to shore.

Richens, a former State Parks lifeguard, took off Eustache’s fins and put them on his own feet to help his swimming strength and speed. Overin, a former San Clemente city lifeguard,  lifted his surfboard above his head to signal to lifeguards that help was needed.

Three other surfers in the water – pro surfers Sawyer Lindbald and David Economos and 13-year-old Ellis Avery – noticed the rescue in motion and paddled to the beach to get help. Avery, a junior lifeguard for five years, quickly called 911 from the beach.

San Clemente Marine Safety officers Hayden Paul and Ian Burton rushed to action, helping to bring Eustache to the sand.

Nathan Vandergast, a surfer from Oceanside, was watching the waves and saw the rescue unfold from his parents’ patio above the surf break and called the lifeguard department.

Paul and OCFA firefighter Sean Garvey, who happened to be watching the waves from a cliff above and rushed down to help, began administering CPR.

Burton and Paul then used an Automatic External Defibrillator, or AED, to shock Eustache multiple times until his heart started beating once again.

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Lifeguards, OCFA Station 60 firefighters and EMTs with Falck ambulance service all worked to stabilize Eustache. He joked during the award ceremony that they owe him a new wetsuit, after cutting it to shock his body, drawing a chuckle from the crowd.

“Everybody played a role at the right time, at the right moment to pull me out of the water. Thank God and thanks to my angels,” Eustache said, his arms stretched out to the long line of people credited with saving his life. “I’m here today.”

Making beaches a safer place

Eustache woke up six days later, on Dec. 31, with no recollection of what unfolded on Christmas Day. Doctors had no explanation for why his heart stopped beating, but he now has a defibrillator implanted into his chest, just in case.

In the weeks following, it’s been like a puzzle piecing together the chain of events that led to his rescue.

Eustache said San Clemente, especially in the ocean, has always felt like home. Now, that connection is even stronger, he said.

“I’m eternally grateful,” he said.

In addition to recognizing the people whose quick thinking saved Eustache’s life, Mellott said the rescue is a good opportunity to let people know about the city’s Neighborhood Beach Watch program, where citizens can get free training from lifeguards on how to recognize ocean dangers.

It could be someone in the water who can help, or someone on the beach trail that notices a person in need, he noted.

“Having these people in the places that they were, and had the fortitude to take the steps to make a difference, it’s huge,” Mellott said.

The lifeguard department is also going to have a series of CPR classes for the public this summer, an effort that started last year that will expand in coming months.

“The goal is to make the beaches safer and help save lives,” Mellott said. “One town, one team.”

The San Clemente lifeguard department will post in the coming weeks the dates of upcoming training sessions at san-clemente.org.

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