Quick action by lifeguards saves man at Ocean Beach eatery

A group of off-duty San Diego lifeguards is being credited with saving the life of a 57-year-old man who went into cardiac arrest at a restaurant in Ocean Beach.

The incident happened on March 1, around 7:30 p.m. at Blue Water Seafood, where three lifeguards — including Noah Herrera — had just sat down to eat when they noticed a man who appeared to be in distress.

Herrera said the situation quickly escalated.

“We rolled him, checking his pulse, and I didn’t feel anything after about 10 seconds, and I told Mitch, ‘I don’t feel a pulse, start compressions,’ and he just started on his chest right away,” Herrera said.

At the same time, another off-duty lifeguard, Griffin Houldin, was dining nearby with his girlfriend when they noticed the commotion.

“She kind of poked her head in and looked and came out to me and said, ‘You should definitely go in there,’” Houldin said.

Houldin rushed inside to help and was asked to retrieve an automated external defibrillator (AED).

“I just checked in and said, ‘Hey guys, what do you need and Mitch looked up and said AED. So I just ran across the street to the station, grabbed the AED and trauma pack, and ran back,” Houldin said.

The four lifeguards worked together to perform CPR and use the AED until paramedics arrived. Within 15 minutes, the man regained a pulse.

“One of the fire captains came back in and told us. ‘Hey, he was awake and said a few things in the ambulance.’ We heard that and we were amazed that he was making a comeback,” Herrera said.

Two weeks later, the lifeguards reunited with the man and his family.

“He and the family were all very grateful and wrote a really nice letter to us. It was really cool for us to see him back and he looked like nothing had happened to him. He looked really good,” Herrera said.

Houldin said the outcome felt like more than a coincidence.

“Whatever you wanna believe in, he must have more work to do, so that’s why we were all there that night,” Houldin said.

Herrera, the son of longtime NBC 7 photojournalist Jeff Herrera, said the rescue stands out among his experiences.

“It makes you realize that that’s why you’re here, that’s what it’s all about,” Herrera said.

When asked by his father where the rescue ranks in his career, Herrera didn’t hesitate.

“It’s definitely top of the list for me. ” He was not going to survive if we weren’t there,” Herrera said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.