Andre Botha, the two-time world bodyboarding champion who saved Evan Geiselman from drowning at Pipeline, has been honored by Kirk Caldwell, the Mayor of Honolulu.
In the ceremony, the South African was praised for his heroic acts on the North Shore of Oahu. But Botha kept a humble posture and underlined the importance of the lifeguards when it comes to saving lives.
"I don't think of myself as a hero at all. The guys who are the real heroes are the lifeguards and emergency workers who do this job every single day," noted Andre Botha.
"It was beyond a doubt the most physically demanding thing I've ever done. His face was completely blue, his eyes had rolled back in his head, and he had foam running out of his mouth when we got him to shore. It was terrifying to see. I wasn't at all sure that he was going to make it at that point. But I'm so thankful he did."
Mayor Caldwell also praised everyone who helped rescue Evan Geiselman in the 25-foot Pipeline surf, including the paramedic team. The combined effort saved the life of the young surfer.
"We all want to be heroes. I want to be a hero, but you don't know until you're faced with that very scary experience and you step up and you act and what do you do. Today we have a hero in our midst, and that's Andrew Botha right here," stated Kirk Caldwell.