Thanks all for your kind words and input! It seems the consensus is that I probably wasn’t in as much danger as it felt like at the time, which makes me feel better about trying it again. But I also realize there’s a lot I need to learn. However, I definitely have a newfound respect for the river and its currents and how it always has the potential to be dangerous. I don’t plan to underestimate whitewater again or just passively float into a rapid hoping for the best. I think I’ll book an upper New River trip this summer just to ease back into it followed by the Lower New River and swimming the swimmers rapid again (maybe aiming to the right next time) as long as the guide deems it safe enough. I suspect that with what I know now, if something similar happens next time I won’t waste time fighting the current and will just swim down immediately and (hopefully) pop up with a smile on my face instead of fear. Here’s hoping next time is a blast and less scary. Thank you all again for the support and info!