Platial | Who and What's Nearby
Platial | Who and What's Nearby
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i was about 12 years old, and i didnt really think much about ocean swimming safety. i grew up in phoenix, so i knew how to swim fairly well, since everyone (well, except me) had a pool. oceans, i found, are very different than swimming in pools.
my brother and i had gone out fairly far into the ocean, far beyond the point where we could still touch the ocean floor without having to go underwater. i realized that i was getting too tired to keep swimming, and attempted to swim back to shore. after a while, i realized i was making absolutely no progress. i was, in fact, even further away from the shore than when i started trying to swim back. i was caught in a riptide (although i didnt realize it at the time - i dont think i even knew what a riptide was exactly.)
im not sure if this is how drowing in the ocean happens or not, but i went through a few phases of trying to keep afloat. the first was essentially just kicking my feet and staying afloat like normal, just like you would in a pool. after a while, that got extremely tiring, especially after i had just swam so much trying to get to shore. also around this time, i started getting hit by a lot of waves which was making breathing a lot more difficult. i embarked on a new plan: slowly letting myself drift down to the bottom of the ocean floor until i needed air, then swimming up to take a breath of air, keeping my head up as much as i could, trying to time it with wave crashing, and then slowly drifting down again - and repeat.
during this last stage i became painfully aware that i was getting into a situation where i could easily drown. i remember being very scared, but also feeling like there was nothing i could do about it as i was completely out of energy. those two feelings kind of counteracted each other. i just kept bobbing.
about the same time that i had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that i was going to die, i heard someone yelling. "you are caught in a riptide! swim diagonally! follow me!" a lifeguard had apparently seen me and apparently many others - although i had no idea anyone else was around.. they were mostly all on surfboards, it seemed like.
i dont remember if i told him that i could no longer swim, or if he just knew, but he threw me that little orange thing they always carry around. i grabbed it and he started swimming for the shore. i could not believe how this guy could swim - i was making a huge wake as i was being dragged to the shore.
when we arrived on shore i was about 3/4 to 1 mile away from where i originally started. the lifeguard asked me where i was from, and told me to be safe. i didnt know what to say - he had literally just saved my life. i said a simple 'thank you'. it was the closest to death i think i've ever been. i have a new respect for the "no lifeguard on duty" signs i used to laugh at. i haven't swam in the ocean since this incident.
i was about 12 years old, and i didnt really think much about ocean swimming safety. i grew up in phoenix, so i knew how to swim fairly well, since everyone (well, except me) had a pool. oceans, i found, are very different than swimming in pools.
my brother and i had gone out fairly far into the ocean, far beyond the point where we could still touch the ocean floor without having to go underwater. i realized that i was getting too tired to keep swimming, and attempted to swim back to shore. after a while, i realized i was making absolutely no progress. i was, in fact, even further away from the shore than when i started trying to swim back. i was caught in a riptide (although i didnt realize it at the time - i dont think i even knew what a riptide was exactly.)
im not sure if this is how drowing in the ocean happens or not, but i went through a few phases of trying to keep afloat. the first was essentially just kicking my feet and staying afloat like normal, just like you would in a pool. after a while, that got extremely tiring, especially after i had just swam so much trying to get to shore. also around this time, i started getting hit by a lot of waves which was making breathing a lot more difficult. i embarked on a new plan: slowly letting myself drift down to the bottom of the ocean floor until i needed air, then swimming up to take a breath of air, keeping my head up as much as i could, trying to time it with wave crashing, and then slowly drifting down again - and repeat.
during this last stage i became painfully aware that i was getting into a situation where i could easily drown. i remember being very scared, but also feeling like there was nothing i could do about it as i was completely out of energy. those two feelings kind of counteracted each other. i just kept bobbing.
about the same time that i had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that i was going to die, i heard someone yelling. "you are caught in a riptide! swim diagonally! follow me!" a lifeguard had apparently seen me and apparently many others - although i had no idea anyone else was around.. they were mostly all on surfboards, it seemed like.
i dont remember if i told him that i could no longer swim, or if he just knew, but he threw me that little orange thing they always carry around. i grabbed it and he started swimming for the shore. i could not believe how this guy could swim - i was making a huge wake as i was being dragged to the shore.
when we arrived on shore i was about 3/4 to 1 mile away from where i originally started. the lifeguard asked me where i was from, and told me to be safe. i didnt know what to say - he had literally just saved my life. i said a simple 'thank you'. it was the closest to death i think i've ever been. i have a new respect for the "no lifeguard on duty" signs i used to laugh at. i haven't swam in the ocean since this incident.
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Tags:
ocean , san diego , near death experience , stories , guestimated location , lifeguards , riptide
ocean , san diego , near death experience , stories , guestimated location , lifeguards , riptide
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