A very similar thing happened to me just a week ago. I swam out with my brother, and the current dragged us out much farther than either of us had ever been (about half the length of the pier we were at). My arms were getting tired, and I was getting nervous because we were so far out, so I suggested we head back. We swam and swam, and then we got in enough so that the waves were crashing down around us, but still very very far out (about half the pier length). My brother, being the fine swimmer he is, decided to try to ride the waves in. He would swim up to the top of them and then sail down along with them, and he got very far ahead of me. I was not so talented. A huge wave came up behind me, I knew I wouldn't be able to ride it, so I tried to duck down underneath it. It was much bigger than I thought though, and when I came up for breath, I was still beneath the white water. This is when things went really bad. I struggled to get above the white water, and once I broke the surface, I went to inhale only to have another wave crash down on top of me. I was choking on the water, my brother had left my side, and I was still incredibly far away from the beach. I was able to resurface, but I could feel myself panicking because I could not catch my breath. My arms were just aching due to the lack of oxygen and the fact that I was already very tired. I started swimming forward when another gargantuan wave crashed down on top of me, and again I struggled to find the surface. And that's when I realized that I was truly in a dangerous situation. I could not breathe. I could not swim. I realized that if I didn't focus, that I could really die right now, just like this, drown for no good reason. Another wave crashed down on me, and still choking I started to scream for my brother. I could only say his name once before another wave would hit, and I was just barely able to tread water. There was a man near me, closer than my brother, and he was with his young son. I remember him looking at me when I screamed, and I remember how scared he looked. He shouted at his son to swim faster. While under water, I knew that I needed to gather my breath to scream and to paddle, and so I really could not panic, but I was so fucking scared. I came back up and screamed for my brother again, only he couldn't hear me, because he was riding the waves so far ahead of me. And when I didn't see him this second time, when I didn't think he could hear me, that's when I became more frightened of dying then I have ever been. I have never felt so close except for that moment. Another wave crashed over me, I forced myself to breath steady, but I couldn't see any more because I was tumbling too much in the wake, and the waves were just doubling up behind me. So I screamed again and again and then, it felt like out of nowhere, my brother was by my side. He had finally heard me.

We swam forward a bit and a life guard came out with a floaty device that I was able to hold onto while he kicked me into shore. I apologised to the life guard while he dragged me in because I was the dumb one who very nearly killed herself for no reason. And when we got on shore, I headed for the bathroom, threw up salt water, and cried for quite awhile. My whole body was shaking terribly, and I felt desperately sad unlike anything I've ever felt.

I really didn't think my brother would come back, just because he couldn't hear me. He said that after a couple waves he looked around and didn't see me, so I started swimming back. Then he saw me struggling, so he swam a little faster. Then he heard me scream, so he went full on sprint. And I am so very thankful that he did. I also went up the the lifeguard who had one of the kindest faces I've ever seen, and I thanked him again.

I don't actually know how close I was to drowning, or if I was just a fool floundering out in the water, but it is by far the scariest thing I've ever done. There was no adrenaline rush either, no thank god I'm alive moment of happiness and rejoice. Just overwhelming sadness that I almost lost it all, everything that I had wanted or done nulled out during a day at the beach.