I consider myself a strong swimmer, grew up in the water, spent my high school/college summers as a Lifeguard, and I've never been so terrified as I was in a rip current in Florida. Mostly due to my incompetence, I'm a mountain guy, not marine. The surf was pretty rough to begin with, but as soon as the water got over head height I was sucked outward like I've never felt before. Even swimming sideways, by the time I was out of it I was alarmingly far out and had some rough surf to get back in. I remember thinking, oh this is easily how people drown. You are exhausted afterwards and with high surf, even getting back in required getting slammed by a few waves that felt like being in a washing machine, upside down, spinning, etc.