Joel Drake was body surfing with a friend near Santa Cruz, Calif., in June when they saw a head pop up from the water.

"We saw a girl come up in distress," said Joel's mother, Sheron Drake. "Joel knew he was supposed to swim sideways in a rip tide. He swam faster than I have ever seen him swim."

Joel ended up saving the girl, and for his heroism was recently awarded one of the Boy Scouts's highest honors: the National Honor Medal, a Lifesaving Award.

The National Honor Medal is given to a Scout or Scout leader who has demonstrated unusual heroism and skill or resourcefulness in saving or attempting to save a life at considerable risk to himself. According to Debby Robert of the Boy Scouts Office in Orem, this was only the third given this year from the local council.

Joel's family was on vacation when the accident happened.

"We saw a pretty big wave and we dove under," Joel said. "Then we saw a boogie board pop out of the waves and go toward the ocean."

That's when they saw the girl's head, Joel said, and his Boy Scout instincts kicked in. Joel already has his Boy Scout swimming and lifesaving merit badges.

According to Joel, "I didn't think at all. It was just instinct. We just saw her and swam over."

Joel and his friend, Jonathan Sundstrom of San Jose, Calif., swam to Katie Nelms, 14, to help her.

"I grabbed her boogie board and we grabbed her and put her on and brought her in. We rode the waves in," explained Joel.

Sheron Drake did not realize it was her son helping the girl until they started coming closer.

"I said, 'Is that really Joelfi' "

There was a lifeguard on duty at the time, but he did not see what had happened and did not leave his chair.

Nelms wrote a letter to the Boy Scouts to explain what had happened and to thank Joel. She wrote, "I had lost my boogie board and had no strength to swim back to shore. Joel handed me my board and pulled me back into shore. I was very grateful of his bravery."

Joel, who is in the eighth grade at Timpanogos Academy in Lindon, was surprised by the Scouting award.

"We told him he was going in for a board of review to speak about his lifesaving merit badge," Sheron Drake said. "We wanted it to be a surprise and did it all behind his back. I don't know if he was more grateful for the award or that he didn't have to speak to all of the people for the board of review."

"I didn't know about it until I got up there. I was happy about that," Joel said.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C1.