I almost drowned in my 20s. I was working on mainland Japan and had to go to Okinawa for a month for work. I honestly didn't really want to go. While there I was living with another guy, Tim, who worked for the same company.

He was there year round and knew some good snorkeling spots so he took me to this one place they would all go to. The spot was cool, there were straight 100 foot cliffs all the way down to this crystal clear water and reefs. The place, though, was completely empty.

Steps lead down to the water and you there was this little three foot natural ridge about 4 feet above the water. You can put your shit on there, rest, whatever.

We jump into the water and do our thing but the current was really strong and I was struggling not to get pulled out into the ocean. I decided after a bit that it would get worse and started swimming hard to get back to the cliff wall. I used a lot of energy trying to get back.

I pull myself up onto the ridge and am standing up catching my breath with my back to the ocean.

I didn't see it but my roommate Tim told me later this huge wave came out of nowhere and I was gone. Not only did the wave cost me but I was standing on a ridge four feet above the water.

I don't remember the wave I just remember all of a sudden I was back in the ocean. I slammed my right knee and right side bad and I was really struggling to get above water.

I pull myself up and before I could get a good breath I was slammed back under again. I tried coming up a second time and before I could get a breath I was hit again.

On the third time I knew if I didn't get it, this time I would die. I knew it. I thought it to myself. I go up to the surface, I look out back to the cliffs, which were now way farther away then I was snorkeling in. Time was slow, like it stopped. I thought all kinds of thoughts in just a second. I thought how beautiful it was. It was like looking into true paradise. And I was about to die there.

Before I could catch a breath I got pushed under a third time. And then I knew. I was going to die. I have never had to face death before, not like that. I was surprisingly okay with the idea. I would miss my mom, girlfriend and my apartment in Japan. Haha. Seriously thought those three things. I began to think how I didn't even really want to go to Okinawa in the first place.

Then, out of nowhere Tim grabs my arm and pulls me out of the water. He had his Goggles and flippers on still and began looking for me about the wave.

I couldn't bend my knee anymore, my chest felt like I had been sumo'd and I had lost my flipper and goggles.

Everything became chaotic. Like if this was a movie it would be extreme shaky cam.

I snapped out of it and realized what was going on. Tim was screaming but couldn't make out what he was saying. Something about a wave. I was coughing sucking up any air I could replace with the water in my lungs.

Holy crap writing this is making my heart pound and my arms shake.

I told him about my knee, how I couldn't bend it, how I was exhausted. These weren't long sentences but bursts of words.

When it clicked in my mind what was really happening I said something kind of cliche looking back on it but it fit the scene, "I don't want to die , man."

Tim said relied with just as much cliche. "You're not going to die."

The water was bad but Tim was holding me up. He was able to stay afloat and had his snorkeling gear.

"Where are we? How far away are we?" I asked him. He wasn't sure how far the strong current was pulling us along the cliffs. The cliffs went on in every direction for miles.

"There." Tim said pointing to this cave in a lagoon in the distance. It was far. It looked like it was light years away to me. "There's steps there that go up the cliffs. I've been to a barbecue there before."

"I can't do it," I said. "It's too far."

And he said three words that struck me hard, "You have to."

So I sucked it up and swam. I swam hard. I bent my knee and ignored the pain. Tim helped me when he could. We couldn't stop and rest, we had to push through the current no matter what.

We get closer and closer to the cliffs, aiming for this lagoon with the cave. The cane was huge with the entrance about fifty feet high. I heard the best words I have ever heard. "Stand, we can stand."

Still a bit deep for me to stand I dive under water and touch the ground. It felt so good. I grabbed for the rocks and pulled myself along underwater. Using all the last of my upper strength to pull as hard as I could. The current was really strong as we got into the lagoon.

I pulled myself up to where I could stand and ran to the cave. We were about a hundred feet from the cave and I was running in waist high water. Tim was right behind me hustling to get out of the water too.

We reach the cave and I collapse. I start coughing and just lay on the ground. Tim is exhausted to. After he catches his breath he looks for the steps.

"Bad news. Wrong cave. We must've zipped past the first cave with the steps."

You've got to be fucking me.

"What's that? Tim asks. I look down and see my feet are completely covered in blood. A trail of blood from the ocean across the dry rocks to me.

I look at my feet and it looked like someone took a razor to my feet. The rocks we ran across were sharp, and I was running hard.

Shit. No good. Knee had seized up, my ribs hurt and my feet fucked.

"I need to go for help." Tim said.

"No man. You can't go back out there." The waves had gotten worse, a bad storm was coming. "We can wait it out."

"No. I have to go." After some arguing Tim left. Then the sun went down and it got cold. My wet suit was torn all over and i was soaking wet.

I have no idea how long I waited. Hours. I started to think Tim didn't make it. That he drowned trying to save me and I would have to tell his parents. And I needed to get out of there if he didn't come back.

I figured I would wait until morning, wait until the storm passed and the water its usual calm. Go back towards the cliffs and the ridge and get back.

Then a light across the lagoon flashed on. The light waved around and I heard yelling.

I go closer to the cave entrance and wave my arms. The coast guard. Awesome.

It was dark now, like really dark, but you could see across the lagoon and see the eaves were big and common. Wave after wave slammed into the cliff sides.

Two paramedics begin rappelling down the cliff walls across the lagoon. They reach the water and begin running across when the guy in the back gets hit with this huge wave that came out of the darkness like a monster. He gets flung into the dark.

What the fuck just happened? I thought. The first paramedic turns back to get his buddy.

In the dark I see two bodies coming from the dark. The first paramedic holding up the second paramedic. They are running across the water to the cave and when they reach it they both sit down.

After the greeting and thanks I ask how we get out.

In broken English mixed with Japanese he says we can't go now and have to wait until it calms down. So we wait. And wait. We bullshit a bit but mostly just sit in silence. I was so thirsty.

Eventually the storm calms down and the two paramedics help me across the water. I hoped on my left foot moving across the lagoon.

We get to the cliff walls on the other side and I get pulled up into a mess of lights and an insane amount of people. I actually felt embarrassed by how many people were there.

Not only was the Japanese Coast Guard there, the fire department and the American army. Yeah, the American ducking army. Not tanks or anything but maybe 10 military guys with guns. I was told later than anytime something happened with an American in Okinawa the U.S. Army has to get involved somehow.

I get led to an ambulance and a different paramedic begins checking me out. Gave me water. He starts examine my feet and says in Japanese, "oh shit."

I look at my left foot and he starts counting. "1,2,3" I stop him and say what is it?

Urchin needles. When I ran across the lagoon not only did I slice my feet up but I also stepped on multiple sea urchins. The needles shot up into my feet.

He explained I could go to the hospital, have them surgically remove them. They weren't like splinters, they were big and sticking straight into my feet. Or he said I could wait it out and they will come out on their own.

I opt to go home. I needed sleep. My roommate comes to the ambulance and, I don't know how explain what I felt, but. It was gratitude and happiness. He asks what I want to do. Home it is. A nice long drive too. I give my thanks to everyone and we head out.

On the ride back he tells me what happened. He had gone back out to the cliffs and when he got out of the lagoon he got pulled farther down by the tide. He was eventually able to find a spot to get out of the water and he scaled the 100 foot cliff wall like a complete badass and was able to run back to his car, which was miles from where he pulled himself up from.

He drove to the police station in the town and did his best to explain his situation to cops that didn't speak English.

And with that I finish my adventure. I still write him sometimes and thank him for what he did. To let him know whenever he is having a bad day or needs a lift to know he was a complete badass and saved my life.