Man, 25, is rescued from a rock in Yuba River rapids
A swimmer had to be rescued by helicopter after he was stranded on a rock in the middle of the South Yuba River rapids.
Kalani Tuiono, 25, was swimming Saturday in the Emerald Pools in Nevada County, California.
He thought he was trying to cross a calmer part of the river, which actually turned out to be turbulent.
‘The feeling the current had on me was like the start of a roller coaster. I’m 6 feet, 4 inches and I’ve never felt so small in my life,’ Tuiono told KCRA.
Though he considers himself a strong swimmer, he was tossed around by the undercurrent and lost his sense of direction.
Kalani Tuiono, 25, pictured, had to be rescued by helicopter after he was stranded on a rock in the middle of the South Yuba River rapids Saturday
Tuiono, pictured, thought he was crossing a calm part of the river, but he was dragged by a strong undercurrent about a mile away before he grabbed onto the rock
He told WHAS11 that he was pushed against rocks and struggled to catch his breath.
Tuiono was eventually able to grab onto a rock in the middle of the rapids. When he first collided with it, he said he vomited, but he held on.
The rock was just feet from a waterfall.
He later found out he had gone about a mile from where he originally started swimming.
A hiker who was on nearby cliffs along the river saw Tuiono and called 911.
Tuiono was rescued by a technician from the Truckee Fire Protection District in a basket lowered from a California Highway Patrol helicopter.
Video from the helicopter shows the rescue as the CHP officer and paramedic Matt Calcutt maneuvered the basket down to Tuiono, stranded on the rock.
A hiker who was on nearby cliffs along the river saw Tuiono stranded and called 911. A helicopter arrived about an hour later
Tuiono was rescued by a technician from the Truckee Fire Protection District in a basket lowered from a California Highway Patrol helicopter
Calcutt said Tuiono is lucky to be alive and that there have been more than two dozen drownings in the area in the last month, WHAS11 reported.
‘He had a near-death experience. We are glad to have a good outcome,’ Calcutt told the outlet.
Tuiono told KCRA he is lucky to be alive and he is grateful for the help of his rescuers.
He plans to volunteer for his local search and rescue team, Washoe County Search and Rescue, to pay it forward.
He posted about the incident on Facebook Saturday night saying: ‘I know now I am meant to be alive.
‘Today at the Yuba River the current took me away and into the rapids and waterfalls.
‘I was underwater for what felt like minutes and was thrown around like a rag doll. I washed up onto a rock stomach down and puked immediately.
‘I was on the rock for an hour until search and rescue came and saved me via helicopter.
‘My life was saved today thanks to Truckee fire department, Cali fire, and California Highway patrol. I have never had a more humbling experience. There is definitely someone upstairs looking down on me making sure I stay alive.’
Tuiono said he is lucky to be alive and he is grateful for the help of his rescuers. He plans to volunteer for his local search and rescue team, Washoe County Search and Rescue, to pay it forward
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