While in the water, Ace heard a man calling for help. Acting swiftly, he paddled over with his friend Sunny (who is not a student at St Edward’s) to assist. They found a man floating on his back, frantically flailing his arms and struggling to stay afloat. He was unable to feel his legs and clearly in distress.

Ace quickly removed both his and the man’s leg ropes, handed the surfboards to Sunny, and began swimming the man toward shore. He supported the man’s legs to help him stay buoyant and prevent him from going under. It was a courageous and physically demanding effort that ultimately brought the man to safety.

Once on shore, two young women who had witnessed the situation came to assist. Together with Ace and Sunny, they gently carried the man further up the beach, keeping him as still as possible, and called for an ambulance.

The man—Steve—turned out to be a paramedic himself. Despite his training, he was full of praise for Ace and Sunny’s calmness, surf skills, and quick thinking. Steve admitted he was not a confident swimmer and hadn’t surfed in years. He was overwhelmed with gratitude and said, without hesitation, that Ace had saved his life.

Last Sunday, Steve met with Ace to thank him in person. He gifted Ace a $150 surf shop voucher and shared that he had undergone emergency surgery to fuse his neck at the C3/C4 level—an injury that could have left him permanently paralysed. Thanks to the quick and selfless actions of Ace and Sunny, Steve is not only alive but walking again.

We are incredibly proud of Ace for his outstanding bravery, humility, and compassion. His actions—and those of Sunny—represent the very best of what we hope to inspire in our students and broader community.