This is a powerful story. I nearly died drowning, too. I was probably in my late 20s, on an island in the Outer Banks of NC. The area was (and is) prone to se

This is a powerful story. I nearly died drowning, too. I was probably in my late 20s, on an island in the Outer Banks of NC. The area was (and is) prone to severe riptides - a current formation that surprises swimmers by pulling them out to sea rapidly. These are very difficult to spot visually unless you know exactly what you are looking for. I saw a boy out in the water, far deeper than he should have been for his age (maybe 8-10 yo). He seemed OK, but I knew enough to know that "drowning doesn't look like drowning." Without much thinking I just swam in after him. Once I started out I realized quickly what was going on. I made my way to the boy. He was absolutely panicking. I told him to remain calm, and we would be OK. I am a competent but not amazingly strong swimmer - mainly I was able to give him somebody to hold onto so he could stop swimming and wasting his own energy. We made our way back in, but I could feel the current against me. This is the nature of rip tides. Even fully aware of the phenomenon I wasted a LOT of energy swimming directly against the current. I was worried I wasn't going to make it. Finally I managed to move far enough down the shore to escape the rip tide, and we made it back safely. It felt so anticlimactic. The kid ran to his family. I ran to mine, and collapsed on a beach towel. My family asked if I was all right, to which I could only really answer that I was. A few minutes later the mom came by and thanked me. But I knew the truth. My miscalculation nearly cost me my life. It didn't look like that from the shore, but if I hadn't escaped the rip tide when I did I know full well I would have panicked and drowned. To this day, that moment sits with me, and it keeps everything in perspective.