Francisco GV NDE 3365

I was studying during the ninth semester of my career...and in the university there were extracurricular activities like culture and sports. I practiced in the AQUATIC AND DIVING RESCUE [division of] sports activities. Only persons experienced in swimming and without fear of the water were admitted since it was a high risk activity. The segments were three times per week: Mon, Wed and Fri, three hours per segment.

At the end of every segment I practiced an exercise which is called amnea which entails swimming below water holding your breath. During my final amnea I commented to the instructor that I wanted to swim 75 [metros] underneath the water. He was in agreement, and I hyperventilated...filled my lungs with air and submerged myself to the bottom of the pool. I passed the 60 metros without problems.

All of a sudden, my vision started to malfunction--I saw the edge of the pool [as if] very far away and I stopped feeling any kind of sensation, like cold, wanting to breath, emotion, etc. Suddenly what I could see, I saw from afar as if I was drowning in my own vision. Everything turned dark for a very brief instant, because after that I saw a tunnel of a dark color and my body headed towards it.

When I reached the end of the tunnel I found a landscape of an intense white color, but it did not hurt my vision. I didn't feel afraid. I felt very tranquil. Then I saw a friend who had died a while back; he had been my best friend. His name is Nestor. I felt very happy to see him, but at no time was I afraid. We had the following conversation:

Basically, that was our conversation; I remember very well those words. The two of us were face to face and my friend touched my shoulder. I wasn't afraid and in that moment I was only happy to see him and his words made me feel very content. It seemed as if he'd never died; his body and face were the same as the last time I saw him alive.

Then I wanted to ask him many questions but I felt as if a force pulled me backwards; it pulled me in a very soft way. I saw how it pushed me towards the tunnel. I looked behind me and saw myself floating over a group of persons; they were pressing my chest to bring me back to life. I saw everything they were doing: their faces [filled] with fear, their desperation and I saw myself lying on the ground face up, totally pale.

All of a sudden I opened my eyes and I was very calm. I didn't feel any fear whatsoever. I was very relaxed and content. I asked them what had happened and they couldn't answer me because they were too scared. The instructor only told me to not to move, to stay calm, but I responded that I felt totally well. I was the one who was calming my companions. They asked me to sit and breathe. I was calm and without problems.

Fortunately, water didn't enter my lungs so I didn't have difficulty breathing. I didn't tell my friends about my NDE for fear of what they would say; I only told my father and one friend.

That is my version of what happened, but there is also the version of my companions and the instructor. Their version is very different from mine. They recounted the following:

When I was doing the amnea they saw that I reached the 75 meters without problems. I raised my head from the water and once more submerged myself into the pool. As they saw I had finished the amnea, they turned their eyes away and in another direction, towards the watering cans (showers). One of my companions had forgot his visor and flippers and got out of the showers and headed toward the other side of the pool. Suddenly, he saw me submerged at the bottom and he thought it was a joke but then he realized I was unconscious at the bottom. He called the instructor and between all of them they pulled me out of the pool. When they finally got me out, they couldn't bring me back to life. I wasn't breathing; they took my pulse and couldn't find it. They didn't give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation; they only gave me a strong punch to my chest which is when I opened my eyes.

I don't remember having reached the 75 meters in my amnea but they say that I did reach it; therefore, I lost that part of my memory. About the respiration and pulse, those who were present are experts in that. One is a fireman, another is an emergency nurse; another is the instructor of aquatic and diving rescue and the rest were diving rescuers.

All though I'd be afraid of the water after what happened, but to the contrary; the water seems more agreeable from that moment on and I'm not at all afraid of death, even the site where I saw myself during my NDE seems pleasant. I am not an expert on NDE's and I've recounted my experience on forums trying to resolve some concerns and to find people with similar experiences. I've even been restless enough to want to hypnotize myself to relive that moment if that is possible.

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          No

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    While I chatted with my friend who, months ago, had died; when I arrived at the light and when I left the light.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    Normal consciousness and alertness

Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)? Yes     I saw the objects far away but very sharply.

Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)? No

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Yes

What emotions did you feel during the experience?           I felt very tranquil, relaxed, without fear, happy.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          Yes     I passed through a tunnel to arrive at an area filled with light.

Did you see a light?           Yes     At the end of the tunnel I saw a light. When I arrived at the light I realized that it was a place without borders--all lit up and completely silent.

Did you meet or see any other beings?         Yes     I saw a friend who months ago had died. He was my best friend. His name is Nestor. We had the following conversation:

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No

Did you see or visit any beautiful or otherwise distinctive locations, levels or dimensions?            Yes     It was a landscape totally illuminated and very tranquil.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    Yes            I had heard talk of them, but I didn't know much about the topic.

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was definitely real    Very real; I know it was real. I didn't imagine it. It was something that definitely occurred.

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?            There were several significant experiences. For instance, the seeing of my friend who had died. The message that my dead friend gave me. My seeing myself stretched out on the ground without life. And awakening feeling happy and content.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was definitely real    It was real, very real. I remember many details, even more details than experiences that I have day-to-day.

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience? Yes I am more patient, more calm. I don't get stressed as I used to before.

Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience? Yes In reality, I was never very religious but my way of seeing religions changed; I respect them very much more; I am more tolerant about the beliefs of others.

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience? No

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience? One year after that experience I was eating with my family in the dining room; it was 3 in the afternoon. When we finished eating, my parents went to their room to watch TV. I laid down on the rug of the living room. Suddenly I felt, several times, as if I were sinking into the floor and I couldn't move, try as hard as I might. Additionally, I couldn't talk, nor could I yell. To one side of me, I saw my father sitting on the sofa, looking at me and smiling. When I saw him I became calm. He told me to calm down; that he'd come to tell me everything would be all right; not to worry about anything; that everything would be all right in my life.

At that moment I calmed down a great deal; the body of my father was the same but his face was more tranquil, full of peace. The words that he spoke to me and the calm that he imparted were the same that my dead friend had given me during the NDE.

When I could move I turned to see that my father was not present. I got up with much difficulty; I was very tired. I arrived at my parents' bedroom and I saw them asleep. I awoke my father and asked him if he had gone into the living room; he told me that, no, he'd been asleep. I didn't want to tell him of that experience.

Did the questions asked and information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your experience? Yes I believe that there might be many details which I didn't remember, but I described everything I lived through in a manner that I consider true-to-life. Everything that I described is totally certain.