A family knows how it feels to lose a loved one to drowning and they did not want the same feeling of pain to be suffered by anyone.
The about two months of search for 12-year-old Arunay Pruthi was discontinued at Cowell Ranch State Beach in Half Moon Bay, ABC7 reported.
The boy’s legacy continued months after the search as Half Moon Bay had its new emergency life rings around.
The Pruthi family still feel the loss through the crashing waves, which some might find soothing.
Their son, Arunay, died after being pulled into the water by a sneaker wave in January. The family chose to find their purpose from the pain.
“Arunay battled the ocean waves for 15 minutes before they eventually took him down,” Vikram Saxena, Arunay Foundation Secretary, said as a representative of the boy’s family. “Our hope is in the event of any unfortunate incident like that, family members, bystanders and first responders have the necessary equipment accessible to them to mount a rescue.”
The Arunay Foundation has facilitated the installation of the three emergency life rings in Half Moon Bay. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was done on Wednesday as the foundation stressed its mission to educate, equip and inform the public through the measure.
“When I look at this life ring right here, I don’t just see a life ring,” according to CALFIRE Deputy Chief Jonathon Cox. “I see a daughter that’s going to be surviving in the future or a son. I see Arunay’s legacy living on.”
The California coast has taken 19 lives, Arunay’s included, for this year alone.
The 12-year-old boy drowned when he tried to save his eight-year-old brother.
“It’s inspiring for me to see that out of tragedy, comes hope for others,” San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolanos said. “I’m assured, that with this new tool, lives will be saved.”
Two of the rings were installed close to the Pillar Point Harbor while the remaining was at the popular Maverick’s beach. Nonprofit Sea Valor has helped design the rings, which were pushed through also with their partnership.
