This was the scariest moment of my life

Actually, all the ingredients for a perfect vacation day are present. White sandy beach, thirty degrees plus, shining sun, you know the drill. We just arrived in Uluwatu, Bali, and decide to go to Dreamland Beach. Just the name: Dreamland. Sounds heavenly.

Upon arrival, it’s not quite like that. The sea is wild. A bit too wild. Now, I’m already a coward when it comes to water situations, but something inside me feels that this swirling mass of liquid is unsafe. The first wave comes suspiciously close. ‘I want to get out of here, San, come on, let’s go.’ Mr. thinks it’s just grand, so he stands there staring at the sea like a little laughing boy. Okay, maybe I’m overreacting. I’ll take a few more photos.

The second wave comes so close that I decide to step onto a fallen tree trunk, hoping that my clothes will stay dry. The third wave is of the too dangerous kind. The log is pushed back by the fierce force of the sea, and at that moment, I make a stupid choice: I step off from the back. With the fourth wave crashing, I fall over and the heavy thing rolls right over my left foot. Shit. I pull at my leg, which won’t move, and freeze in panic.

I can tell you that there’s nothing scarier than wanting to get away from an unsafe place but being unable to because you’re stuck. Everything happens quickly. I see a woman in a red dress + selfie stick being pulled into the sea. Policemen run into the water. No one seems to be looking at me because there are people in worse trouble. I shout to Sander that he needs to come quickly because I’m in pain. In slow motion, I see him running towards me. Eyes wide in shock.

In a split second, he pushes the log off my foot with primal strength and lifts me up. ‘Sweetheart, are you okay? Do you have pain? Where is your slipper?’ ‘I... I don’t know,’ I stammer a bit surprised. I see that the woman in the red dress is being pulled out of the sea by a couple of men. Her arms are hanging strangely.

Two seconds later, I realize what just happened or worse: what could have happened to me and I start to cry intensely. ‘Darling, come on, you’re safe,’ he says. I’ve never clung to my boyfriend as much as that morning at that little beach.

Now I don’t want to sound pitiful because aside from a painful ankle, nothing else happened (thank god the woman in the red dress also came to), but I did become aware of the here and now. One stupid choice and it could be over for you. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Humanity can influence almost everything, but nature is unpredictable and destructive.

Many people in Indonesia were less fortunate this month and lost their lives in a tsunami. My heart goes out to everyone who is crying. The lesson I learned? Get the hell out of there when you feel something isn’t safe. And NEVER stand on a log by a wild sea, just get as far away as possible.