BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — The 15-year-old who drowned on Gulfstream Park beach Sunday was identified as Prestyn Smith of Lake Worth.

For the first time, WPTV is hearing from first responders who were in the water trying to find Smith.

It was a multi-agency effort, with helicopters, jet skis and divers in the water searching for the missing teen.

“One of the things that personally comforts me every time we respond to one of these very stressful calls is knowing that we did absolutely everything we could, that’s kind of what makes it a little easier,” Boynton Beach firefighters said. Captain Steven Permenter on the phone.

He said when he arrived at the scene he did not see Smith but went into the water to save the mother who was also battling the currents trying to find her son.

“She wanted to go help her child and had to explain to her that we need to try to get her in as quickly as possible to make sure we can get her to safety and do our best to try to get the child back.” Permenter said.

He said he was an experienced swimmer and it took about four other people to fight the waves and currents and help him get back.

“At any point, were you afraid for your own safety? asked WPTV’s Joel Lopez.

“It was definitely tough,” Permenter said. “I wanted to make sure she got in as quickly as possible.”

Permenter said he drank a lot of water during the rescue, which left him short of breath and vomiting, and he had to go to the hospital.

He is now recovering from the incident.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the calls came in shortly after 7:27 a.m. Sunday.

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“It’s very sad,” said Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue lifeguard Tracy Shelley.

She said the day was eventually deemed an alert day, but lifeguards were checking in at 7:30 a.m. to train and do their morning workout, and the family was in the water before they got out. install.

“We didn’t raise the flag in the morning because we weren’t open,” Shelley said.

She said she and two lifeguards who were at Gulfstream Park Beach immediately intervened and she rushed to help.

“I got in my running gear and swam,” Shelley said. “You couldn’t see; the visibility was four feet or less.”

She urges beachgoers not to swim in the water until a lifeguard is present.

“Even this morning I swam in the rip current to really understand how the water moved, and even when it was much smaller it was almost impossible for me, a professional, to swim against that current” , Shelley said. “So someone who’s a regular person who’s not trained or maybe doesn’t have a high level of swimming skill, it’s kind of impossible for them.”

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Gulfstream Park Beach was flying a yellow flag Monday, with the beach full of people.

“We’re a little bit in shock,” said Angeleka Schmidt, who is vacationing at Gulfstream from Germany.

She said she was at the beach when the search began and was praying for the family who lost a loved one.

“Yesterday everyone was looking out to sea looking for the boy,” Schmidt said. “We saw the body come out, it was so sad.”