Despite the fact that I have spent my entire life in the Southeastern United States, I have always fascinated myself with water. Whether it was playing in the creek with my cousins, or surfing tropical pacific swells brushing into an archipelago full of sweet fruits and heavy waves. Maybe the passion stems from skimboarding the Gulf of Mexico as a kid, natural rock slides in the Smoky Mountains, or neighborhood slip and sides. I’ve always been drawn to any water activities thrown at me, whether it was pushing myself too far in pounding shorebreak waves with my older cousins or just over lasting my stay in a pool. Although I played baseball my whole life growing up in Atlanta, this did not deter or repress my natural curiosity of water. I see it as a major defining aspect of my life as the ocean has put me in my highest places after catching an exhilarating ride but then quickly humbling me with multiple near drowning experiences. Both of these near death experiences have greatly changed my mental psyche and have helped me both in classes as a student and as a competitor as an athlete. My sense of general patience has risen and my state of calmness has greatly improved after being held underwater motionless for a minute and a half. My adrenaline addiction coinciding with my natural captivation of water molded my life into my free flowing, relaxed nature.