George M's NDE

Experience description: 

I was in Costa Rica with close relatives and friends.  Snorkeling in the water after spending the day at the secluded beach which seemed surreal and nearly perfect.  I jumped at the chance to go out on the airboat (small-utility type) and somewhat shrugged off the need for flippers bringing only a mask.  I was on the boat with Esteban, a nice guy in his twenties I believe, also native Costa Rican to the best of my knowledge and an avid surfer.

Also on the boat was a very attractive woman in her twenties or early thirties who I sympathized greatly with on the trip right off the bat.  Her brother is a professional skateboarder, so she actually knew quite  a few pros including Tony Hawk. (My close friend is now possibly the top amateur skateboarder in the world right now and actually had a short interview in Sports Illustrated which also featured Tony Hawk, who in the eyes of many is the most well known pro skateboarder in the world.)

The third person on our boat was Kevin, operating the boat, who worked for my uncle.  Esteban and I both had been drinking moderately on the beach.  As we cruised in the boat Esteban, who held a relationship with the woman, joked casually about pushing her into the water.  She, however, took it seriously and did not appreciate the humor very much.  On our way back to shore, Esteban and I decided to snorkel on our own, neither of us having flippers.  We eventually separated from each other and soon were around twenty to thirty feet apart. 

Looking for bigger fish, I swam towards some rocks that stuck about ten to fifteen feet out of the water.  Once near them I realized that I should have trusted my intuition and was soon stuck in the suction of water that normally happens near a rock formation such as this.  As I looked up at them treading water, I recalled a story my mother and sister had told me of a young man in my position who was injured severely trying to climb up rocks half this size.  So, I tried to swim away from them. 

All of the sudden I realized how tired I was after drinking and being at the beach for the last several hours.  I soon became short of breath, which made floating with my head in the water using the snorkel for breathing was out of the question. (I tried using it for what seemed like minutes to no success).  I was becoming frantic. As I tried desperately to swim to shore, waves hit my face.  I was submerged completely several times, taking in substantial amounts of sea water.  The times that I could, I screamed "Esteban, get the boat!", and perhaps other things. 

Although the sequence of my experience is sketchy, I remember being underwater as past images and experiences flashed before my eyes and in my mind.  While i was under, I saw what I figured at the time was the sun.  As my knowledge of NDE's grew however, I began to believe that with the image of a bright, yellow, centralized light.  I also vaguely remember seeing myself in the water, but I am not positive of this.  Before I knew, it I was being helped into the boat by whom I remember to be Kevin, who had picked up Esteban before me.  Dazed, we were brought back to the beach.  I was laying in the sand for several minutes, dumbfounded about my experience.  I also recall Esteban, who was of few words, say that he had nearly drowned as well. 

Since then, many things have happened that I believe to be related to this, including my cousins giving me a birthday gift, that following September.  It was a picture taken of me with several people in the distance behind me, on that same beach that day, running jokingly in the shallow water.  I had nearly forgotten about the picture before they gave it to me, but I vividly remember when it was taken.  At the top of the picture, which was framed, were words in script-like font, in white, which are in the sky, that say in all lowercase "prancing into manhood".  I had no part in creating this caption.  My mother's sister's daughters created it, both of which I have been close to since I was an infant.

Any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience:  Yes

      Explanation:  alcohol, marijuana

Was the experience difficult to express in words?  Yes

      What was it about the experience that makes it hard to communicate?  some uncertainties, it happened very fast

At the time of the experience, was there an associated life threatening event?  Uncertain

      Describe:  snorkeling in middle of day, tired

What was your level of consciousness and alertness during the experience?  tired

Was the experience dream like in any way?  yes

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

Describe your appearance or form apart from your body:  i might have seen it

What emotions did you feel during the experience?  hopelessness and hope, fear of death but also acceptance

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?  No

Did you see a light?  Yes

      Describe:  bright, yellow, centralized

Did you meet or see any other beings?  No

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?  Yes

      Describe:  no knowledge of details

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?  Yes

      Describe:  the rocks

Did you become aware of future events?  Yes

      Describe:  now yes then no

Were you involved in or aware of a decision to return to the body?  No response

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?  Yes

      Describe:  a book by a NDE specialist Melvin Morse which helped me to communicate with my deceased father

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?  Yes

      Describe:  social, intellectual, and emotional

Has the experience affected your relationships?  Daily life?  Religious practices etc.?  Career choices?  all of the above in a positive way

Have you shared this experience with others?  Yes

      Describe:  skeptical and/or believing

What emotions did you experience following your experience?  nearly all

What was the best and worst part of your experience?  i almost died but i have gained spiritual and self knowledge

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?  my whole life has changed because of it

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?  Yes

      Describe:  above

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

      Describe:  marijuana and alcohol

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?  No

Please offer any suggestions you have to improve the www.nderf.org questionnaire?  I would like to speak with personnel in order to elaborate on my experience