There's something very relaxing about being in the ocean surrounded by the vast open waters. However, those waters can turn on you very quickly. It's very easy to get caught in the undertow of a wave, and it is terrifying. Here are some things you probably thought if this has ever happened to you.
I really underestimated the size of this wave.
No one ever really plans to get caught in the undertow. Usually it just happens when you didn't jump for the wave at the right time and it goes over your head, or it was just a lot more powerful than you expected. Either way, you always seem to realize just how big the wave is just a minute or two too late.
Well what do you know, turns out I actually can't swim.
Sure, you might think you can swim pretty well, but when those waters are tossing you around you don't know up from down or left from right. There's not a whole lot you can do but wait until it settles down.
WHERE ARE MY BOTTOMS?!?
Anything that wasn't securely attached to your body is probably gone. This includes your boogie board, your googles, and yes, probably your bathing suit. It probably isn't very far, but it definitely isn't where it once was.
Okay I can't die in the ocean right now, my mom will KILL me.
I don't know about you, but what got me through was thinking about how mad my mom would be if I let anything happen to me while I was at the beach! I'd be getting the "you have to be more careful!" lecture for months!
If I just flail around a lot, some part of me is bound to reach the surface, right?
At some point you decide any sort of trying to get out of it is better than just doing nothing and waiting for it to be over, so you just kind of start reaching around for air. Whether you hit it with your arms, your legs, or your butt doesn't matter, you just want something to see daylight so the rest of you can!
This must be how whales feel when they wash up on the beach.
Fighting with a wave is physically exhausting. When you wash up on the sand you know you should run in the other direction so it doesn't happen again, but all you really want to do is lay there like a washed up whale until you can breathe again.
