When I stepped onto the rock, it never occurred to me that I might be swept off of it. Initially, I tried to hold my ground when the wave hit, but then the water rushed over my head and I realized how helpless I was to its sheer force. I remember reaching for the rocks, trying desperately to find something to hold onto and failing. I didn’t feel my body hit the rocks though I know it did. I had no choice but to surrender and ride the wave, and I was filled with a sense of both panic and calmness. I didn’t know if I would come up – I didn’t even know where up was.