We were at the seaside in Odessa. It was so hot that the sand burned our feet, and the water seemed like a salvation. I grabbed an inflatable mattress - bright, light, almost weightless - and decided to just lie on the water for a while. No swimming, no extreme sports. Just relax.

The sea was calm. At least, it seemed that way.

I swam just a little bit from the shore. Just enough to block out the loud conversations and feel the silence. I lay down on the mattress, closed my eyes… And that was it. The warm sun, the gentle swaying of the waves - literally lulled me to sleep.

I don't know how long I slept. Maybe 10 minutes. Maybe half an hour.

I woke up to the feeling of strange silence.

I opened my eyes and realized the shore looked completely different. It was far away. Too far away.

People were tiny dots. There was no music. No voices. Only the wind and the water.

It turned out that while I was sleeping, a wind had picked up. Not a storm, but a steady sea breeze that slowly and surely carried my mattress further from the shore. And I didn't even feel it - the waves were smooth, without any sudden movements.

My first feeling wasn't panic. It was bewilderment. How? I was almost to the shore.

Then my heart started beating faster.

I tried to paddle with my arms, but a mattress isn't a boat. It's light, high, and the wind works against you. You paddle - and still you're carried away.

In that moment, I realized how treacherous the sea is. It doesn't always frighten you. Sometimes it just quietly and imperceptibly takes you further.

Luckily, someone spotted me from the shore. Someone started waving, someone called for lifeguards. After a while, a man paddled up to me on a SUP and helped me back.

When I stepped back onto the sand, my legs were shaking. And not from the cold.

I learned several lessons that day:

Don't underestimate the sea, even if it seems calm.

An air mattress is not a safety device.

Sleeping in the water is a bad idea, no matter how romantic it may seem.

Now I remember this story with a smile. But back then, it was the moment when I truly felt that nature is stronger than us. And that relaxation is good, but caution is more important.

Summer, sun, and sea - wonderful. But now I prefer to sleep on the shore.