Love the water. Got caught in a rip at Lucy Vincent MV w/my best friend while I was college. Very scary. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to be fine, but the look in my buddy's eyes was pure terror. We were swept straight away from the beach and could not swim against the flow. We swam parallel to beach and finally got out of the rip. By the time we made it back to the breaking waves and I could touch the bottom he was like a rag doll, could barely walk. Scared the hell out of me.

The worst of it was I was worried about getting too close to him because the look in his eyes told me he was near panic and I felt he could drown us both. Didn't like my options that sunny afternoon, possibly watching my best friend drown, or trying to save him and risk both of us. Fortunately I was able to encourage him to swim with me.

He was right on the edge. It was a bad day.

Keeping your head is probably more important than being a webbed-toed submariner. A cool head is often your greatest asset when things get dicey.
ab

Larry has been known to swim the distance of a snapped off plug, just like a retriever.:rotf2:

In the day i was very good,even dove for bombs off bass river's bombing rock and swam them back to shore to sell.
Today i flunked the bathtub,have to shower

I've done the hundred yards out, hundred yards back to retrieve a plug, but I had time to stash my gear, remove my waders, shirt et.c. before I went in. In full gear with a rod and plugbag I'd do a lot worse. In the back of my mind I'm scared of some of the monsters that swim under the waves. I'm happier knee deep.:eek5:

this one is still fresh from last year's HABS,,,,,,,,
 

went in when a RoughPt rogue caught me being casual
on a sketchy perch around there,,,,,,,,,my dry-top was
open slightly at the top, korkers firmly attached, rod still
in hand, at the end of a baby chasm, flying solo, and dark.

the smartest thing i did was FIRST:
SLOW DOWN my thinking/breathing and kept my neck above the surf,

the next smartest thing i did was to:
let go of my rod and remember how much i LOVE the ocean,

the final thing i did to save me arse was:
let the wave do the swimming for me and i grabbed the rock
that had just banged my backside on the way in, so i could climb back up
and onto terra firma. thankfully, my korkers were still attached and the rest
of the story can be found within "What Are the Odds" in the S-B archives, if interested.

i swim like a fish anyways, i've been in LOVE with the salt/sweet/anywater for as long as i can remember, have been saved and have saved peoples from the water since childhood, youth swim team w/ ribbons, no certs, am one of those "crazies" that you see swimming back and forth parallel to the beach in the summer, i've invented my own resting stroke that i use between the conventional ones, and just taught my daughter how to swim last summer~~ my greatest water related achievement,YET.

the closest i ever came to sleeping with the fishes was one summer in LA in my late twenties, when my roomate and i decided it would be"cool" to body surf the remnant waves of a 4.7 earthquake at The Point, Malibu Beach. only, we "had to" get smahsed on vodka and codeine on the way to the beach, while his gf drove us down Sunset Blvd. when we got there, we were greeted with 10' - 12' swells and perfect water and sun temps. i rode a couple of 8 footers, then saw my shot at a sweeet 12 that proceeded to SLAM me and my shoulder into the cement-hard bottom tearing my shoulder muscle worse than a separation ~i would find out an ER visit later. only after the tumble cycle finished with me, this beeotch held me down longer than i've EVER been held down by a wave.

with my left shoulder hanging like 'al limpe' linguine and me battling the undertow and steep bottom of the conditons at hand, it took me several attempts and many dunkings later to one arm my way back onto the beach. and once there, i basically collapsed on the shore like a washed-up pile of seaweed *until some local beachcombers started nudging me with their feet, to see if i was, in fact, that pile of seaweed or still breathing*

okay, ok >> *........* << that part didn't happen, but i did lose my keys in the sand somewheres between the road and the surf, my roomies bailed on me to grab the bus back to WHollywood, and i ended up meeting this hot, blondie, Beach-Barbie babe that took me to the ER, took care of me for two days, helped me p/up my paycheck at the Hard Rock, and brought me back to the beach to get my vehicle before MLBU PD had it towed. hey, i was much younger and dumber back then, but oh how the way we rolled~~~ only thing i can chock it up to is this,,,,,,,,,,,,,,that God wasn't done with me yet, and i never panicked.

relax, be at one with the water, know a good resting position, know your limitations, and breathe,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,very slowly and you will survive, you will float, you will tread water, and if in waders and drytop ~~a tight surf belt is a must and keeping the neck cuff fastened may just save your life one night; THAT and a pfd and a sharp dive knife where you can grab it to cut yerself outta yer waders should the absolute worst case scenariorize itself. also have an exit strategy/path of survival in mind at ALL times when hoppin' the rocks. thanks be to God, too, that i'm even able to relate this winter's end tale,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,by my count, it's 23 days til Spring and prolly 37 days until the Striped Ones sea CT!!!

thanks for letting me share, GREAT poll question, sorry for the bramble to those who'll likely complain.
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