The Network Viewed Through My Eyes

This must be quite a common subject to write about, nevertheless impressive.
It is the story of a few minutes which can make you change your mind about a nice sunny day, a nice beach and about yourself.
The following lines were told to me in bits and pieces by the stars of the day, after having recovered the ability to think properly and without too many emotions.

The beach called ‘Los Patos’ is renowned for its beauty, ecological values and undisturbed nature in the north side of the Island of Tenerife.
Of hard and difficult access, finally, the beauty of the whole sand stretch overwhelms the visitor.
An inviting moment to go into the water after observing the waves and general situation, no flags around as it is really not a ‘public’ beach.

The knee high water can suddenly become a hazard if a wave knocks you down. If one does not have the strength to pull out towards the beach, the undertow becomes your worse enemy and drives you out, pulling you away. While struggling against this wave, another one stumbles upon you, pulls you down and drives you even further.
All the while, you loose the notion of time, distance, all you care is breathe and try to think how to get out.
The correct way is, if a wave crashes down on you while swimming and you find yourself being tumbled in bubbles and sand like a sheet in a washing machine, don’t try to struggle to the surface against it. Curl into a ball, or just go limp and float. The wave will take you to the beach, or you can just swim to the surface when it passes. But what if there is turmoil of waves from different directions? All coming at once and clashing against each other? Stay calm – easily said.
The backwash current on a steeply sloping beach can pull you toward deeper water, but its power is swiftly checked by incoming waves. To escape this current, swim straight toward shore if you’re a strong swimmer. If you’re not, don’t panic; wait and float until the current stops, then swim in – easily said – hopefully you still have some strength left and do not panic.
If you are caught in a rip, don’t try to swim against the current. Instead, swim across the current, parallel to the shore, and slowly work your way back to the beach at an angle. Try to remain calm. Panic will only sap the energy you need to swim out of the rip.
All of the above is so easily said, as mentioned before, if you still have some air, if you can think straight and do not panic.
At ‘Los Patos’ thanks to our friends, strong swimmers who made it to the shore, through the tumbler of the ‘washing machine’, Santy called out to a surfer who swam out on his board to help Kimberly safely out.
Thank you to the anonymous smiling surfer, and to Santy for keeping a sharp eye on the situation, keeping control and also lifting people’s spirits.