My Near Death Experience

From: 
Story type: Near Death Experience
Location: Northern California
Source: Form Submission
Date submitted: Sun Mar 20 22:23:39 2011

I am a adrenaline junkie, and well, you know the type, I wont elaborate. On one of my white water adventures we were on the American River on high release, May, Holiday weekend, when our boat was caught in a log jam before a major rapids.

Our boat was wedged at the mouth of the rapids behind another boat, everyone was trying to give room to the boats before they shot the rapids.

Our boat was rear ended, another boat went underneath sending our boat up on end (vertically)..I was on the down river side, and swept out of my foot hold. Keep in mind, many times down the river, through rapids, with and without boats, and rescued in the past..this is what occurred...

I slipped in the water and proceeded possibly instinctively to lay on my back as I had many times when caught in rapids without a boat (lol).. I then was forced under the water by the rapids. I proceeded to open my eyes, and watch boat after boat pass by over head, as I was shot down the river, possibly 5 feet under... I probably was shot under 10 or so boats for at least 1/4 mile...going faster than everyone of course...

all in all...most people assume that when they die, specially in a traumatic situation, they will panic, and yes there are cases when that may occur, specially in slow deaths like dying...

but I was the calmest I had ever been. I didn't gasp for air, I was at peace and was watching all the boats appear static as I was being taken by the river underneath them.

At the greatest peace I remember saying "well, I guess this is better than dying in a hospital bed somewhere" "that's cool...what a great way to go"...etc ran through my mind. I was at so much peace..

1/4 mi. down river, it was as if I was at peace "too much" and something at that moment...physics of river dynamics or what ever, I was pushed verticle out of the water...I acutally felt tons of water on top of me get pushed out the way as I was catepolted out of the water..my body probably looked like a human cork that had been pushed under water and was allowed to pop out. Granted the physics of life jackets made that possible but the river had over powered that by at least 1/4 of a mile and for a good 30-45 seconds..

Paranormal? I dont know. All I know is my mind did not do what I always thought it would do. I did not flail I did not gasp, I did not panic. I was recovered by a boat down river, and waited for my party...they picked me up..adrenaline flowing all the way around..we continued... and finished the second half of the river.

Do I think I was near death? Anyone who would have panicked, would have swallowed allot of water, and probably would have had some sort of breathing problems once recovered from the water...but I had neither...

Did I have a guardian angel? I don't know, I don't know what paranormal or theological theory to apply here, but I can honestly say this, the river did not want to claim me that day. And my brain did not want me to claim myself either, which probably aided my survival.

Who knows....all I know is if I thought I was dying, which I did at the time, I can say, I was at peace with the idea. Now of course no heart stopping and no breathing stopped so maybe its just a survival mechanism...I guess, I will never know or when I do, I will not be able to come back and write about it.