Almost drowning. I was 7 years old and defiant. My mother warned that the waves could pull me out but I didn't want to listen so I swam out far and by the time I realized I couldn't reach the bottom with my feet a large wave went right over my head. In shock at it I breathed in a large gasp of ocean water and frantically moved to the surface where my father was dragging me back to shore. All the while I coughed up the water and cried. Swimming out too far was an awful choice that I didn't understand the consequences of since I was very young.
