Crews rescue man from rough Yuba River rapids

NORTH SAN JUAN, Calif. (KGO) -- A man whose life was saved during a dramatic aerial rescue in the Sierra over the weekend is speaking out about the incident.

Kalani Tuiono, 25, clung to a rock after being overpowered by the swift water of the South Yuba River.

A day of trying to cool off, turned into a fight to stay alive. "I thought I could swim across what appeared to be a calmer part of the river. The feeling the current had on me was like the start of a roller coaster. I'm 6'4" and I've never felt so small in my life," he said.

Tuiono said he's grateful to the highway patrol officers and the firefighters who saved him on Saturday.