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TIFU by underestimating a canal current and almost drowning

Today morning me and my 2 friends went to a canal for swimming. My friends had already swam there once or twice before, but it was my first time swimming in a canal. I usually swim only in swimming pools/tanks.

There was a bridge around 50–60 meters away from where we were standing. My friends said we should jump from there and then swim back. They both jumped first and started swimming ahead. I jumped after them.

At first everything felt normal. But after swimming around 30–35 meters, I suddenly realized I might not be able to make it till the end. So I tried moving towards the corner/side to get out safely.

That’s when things got bad.

The water current kept pulling me away from the side. No matter how hard I tried to reach the corner, the flow kept dragging me away. I started panicking and then I genuinely started drowning. I was giving my absolute 100% just to stay up and somehow reach the side, but the current was too strong.

Thankfully one of my friends noticed something was wrong and came back to rescue me. Somehow I got out safely, but while helping me my friend got scratches.

It was honestly one of the scariest experiences of my life.

Today I learned that swimming in canals/open flowing water is completely different from swimming in pools. From outside everything can look calm and easy, but once you get inside you realize how dangerous currents can be.

If you ever go somewhere unfamiliar:

- First understand the place properly

- Check water depth and current

- Know where you can safely exit

- Don’t blindly follow others just because they’ve done it before

- Take precautions first

This incident was a serious lesson for me, and I’m just grateful things didn’t end worse today.

TLDR: Went swimming in a canal for the first time, underestimated the water current, started drowning, and got rescued by my friend at the last moment.

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