About 18 months ago I was surfing at a place on the NSW South Coast aptly named “The Boneyard”.

The swell was big and stormy with rouge waves around the 15 ft mark.
The reef is basalt with sea urchins and a deep water channel running behind it with a kelp forest.

I took off on “the wave of the day” which was going just fine but as I lined up the barrel (the only way out) The wave jacked and the bottom dropped from beneath me with only a foot of water covering the reef.
The next thing I knew, I was being pounded along the bottom and my legrope had wrapped around my neck.
For what seemed like ages (probably no longer than 1 minute) I was held down and worked over the back of the reef and through the kelp. It was completely dark and I had no idea which way was up.
It all happened very slowly like a dream. The pain was tremendous.
Fortunately for me, I suddenly popped up in the channel with my leggie still around my neck. A couple of local boys were laughing their heads off. I swam in to the beach and sat on the sand for about an hour recovering and counting my blessings.
Any way thats the background, Many thanks to Per for this instrumental, Sub’s mate for the guitar, Sassy for the choral padlike vocal and Anchor for explaining why I paddled back out again an hour later.
Death is a rather calm place compared to life - but I suspect its rather dull and boring.

Here’s the words;

I would be lost without you
would go insane
pay any cost
just to hear you
call my name

In ocean tossed
your a lifeboat
in my sea pain
my message lost
from broken bottle washed
overboard
in driving rain

I feel your touch
as I’m drowning
though the thought remains
guess life is such
while I’m floating
in this sea of pain

Through waves that crush
sun is burning
on my blistered face
I know that much
that I’m sinking
in the earth’s embrace

Drowning Drowning Drowning Drowning
I’m Drowning I’m Drowning I’m Drowning

Floating
dreaming
coming back to you
I’m aching
numbness
calling out to you

waiting
hoping
surface once again!
I’m saying
I’ll be staying
that I can live
and breathe again

{anchor}
You found a Neptune’s shell
and on that horn played
but things are quiet now;
only some mocking gulls remain
and all your sea refrains,
dissolve into a mist
Now but lapping waves
and thin pink clouds

How is the sea for me?
Its a huge unending dream
a vista of immense and hungry and impenetrability
and without regret…
I enter
I enter