[futevolei]

I nearly drowned in my early 30s surfing in conditions that were the biggest I had ever experienced (double to triple overhead). On the skills vs risk chart the author mentions I was low-mid skilled in a higher risk environment. I grabbed the first wave of a large set that rolled through and ended up wiping out. Somehow in the washing machine my leash lasso’d around my legs making them virtually worthless in my struggle. Imagine swimming without legs…it doesn’t work at all. The set waves behind mine were crashing over me and keeping me under. This particular storm was angled perfectly for my break and was very strong at a relatively close distance meaning set waves came in groups of up to 10 as opposed to the normal 2-3. I don’t know how long I was under. My struggle was intense. I feel like the entire time I was thinking clearly but only bc I didn’t have time to panic, maybe? Like the author I thought about my family. I remember being close to the surface once and then getting pounded again. Then an extreme calm came over my body. My vision went black and I remember thinking “this is it, it’s time”. Next thing I remember I surfaced… maybe it was right after I thought it was over, maybe I passed out for some time? Like the author I pretended to just shake it off like no big deal. I told the story like a badge of pride, showing fearlessness and strength or whatever. Never once did I say I was stupid for being out there in the first place. But I was almost that idiot that died after saying “hey y’all watch this”. I do hope my eventual death feels like the calm that came over me here though. I’ll never forget how peaceful that felt…