South San Diego County surfers are very familiar with the Sunset Cliffs area. But it can be a hazard for the less experienced. Arizona friends Zachary Haugen and Jake Watson know that all too well. In July, 2020, they rescued an 18-year-old woman and an 11-year-old girl who had been swept into the sea there during a swell event. And the whole thing was caught on video (above). The dramatic rescue was considered heroic by many onlookers.
And this spring, the Carnegie Hero Commission, the highest civilian honor for heroism, agreed, awarding Haugen and Watson Carnegie Medals. Haugen, then 16 and a certified lifeguard, selflessly jumped in the ocean and helped get the two flailing swimmers next to a ledge. A sizeable wave separated him from the women. That’s when he called for Watson, then 15, who jumped in and was able to push the young girl onto the rock shelf, and stay in the water with the older girl until lifeguards could arrive. The whole scene was surreal, especially considering the boys were so young at the time.
“We just did what anyone would have done,” Haugen said. That’s certainly debateable.
Eighteen people were awarded a 2022 Carnegie Medal for heroism. The medal was founded in 1904 by American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie after he was touched by the heroism shown during the Harwick Mine Disaster in Pennsylvania. The award endowment now provides financial assistance for those disabled, or the dependents of those killed, attempting to save others.
