Near Death Experience
I just returned from a nice weekend in Puerto Arista, for the most part. We had an extremely huge scare when we arrived on Friday night, though. Aurelie and I went for a swim in the ocean around 10pm and got in some serious, almost fatal, trouble with the rip tides (canales).There were NO posted signs and the water was calm, so we were out up to our chests, more or less. A large wave came in; Aurelie saw it, yelled "Cuidado!" and began swimming like crazy. I wasn't sure what she was freaked out about, but when I turned, I saw the giant wave and began to swim.
The current was INCREDIBLY strong and kept wanting to suck me out to sea. I held my breath as the wave crashed on top of me and concentrated on not swallowing a mouthful of salt water, which would have made it difficult to battle my way out of the rip tide.
After the wave crashed, the force of the current was even stronger and I didn't want to get pulled further from the beach. I swam as hard as I could and then concentrated on going at an angle because it was a losing battle swimming head on into the current. I was hoping I could swim out of the rip tide.
Another wave crashed on me, flipping me around like a rag doll. I held my breath until the beating was over and then tried to swim like mad so the current wouldn't continue to pull me into the sea. While struggling against the extremely strong current and beginning to get tired, I thought about the fact that I had just spoken to my parents earlier that day and I couldn't give up because they'd be devastated if something happened to me.
I knew I was tired and getting beat up by the water, but there was no choice other than to fight my way to the shore, regardless of how long it would take me (but I definitely wondered how long I could keep up the positive attitude before getting exhausted beyond my capacity).
The waves would crash on top of me, flip me around several times and once I was spit out on the top, the current would try to suck me out to sea. Swimming against such strong current to prevent from getting pulled further away from the shore was exhausting.
I knew there were only two things that would happen in the next five to ten minutes - I'd drown or I'd make it to the beach.
Thank goodness my guardian angels were with me. I can just hear my Uncle Duane asking me what I was thinking going for a swim at 10pm at night when it was pitch black and there were no fisherman or lifeguards in sight. Nobody could help me and I knew that.
I remembered what my friend Alfredo had recently told me while we were sitting on a beach in Puerto Escondido about when he was a kid and got caught in a rip tide on a Mexican beach which nearly killed him. He didn't panic and swam diagonally to get out of the rip tide. I did just that and although exhausted, finally reached an area where I could touch.
Poor Aurelie was hysterically crying and screaming my name because she couldn't see me. She had taken out her contacts before we went for a swim and it was pitch black, so she couldn't see my head bobbing in the ocean. There was so much noise from crashing waves and I was so intent on saving my life, I heard nothing.
Lalo heard Aurelie just as a woman in a beachside restaurant told him that he should tell us to get out of the water because many people have died at this beach due to the currents!
The first thing I remember is Lalo running out to me as I staggered to shore. I was so tired, I couldn't speak until I reached Aurelie. She hugged me and was sobbing saying she thought I was drowning because she couldn't see me. I told her it was okay, everything was okay. I was most certainly in shock.
On Puerto Escondido, there are a TON of posted signs and flags, but not on this beach - why, I don't know, but it's deadly.
I have additional respect for the sea, as it could have taken my life on Friday night.