Kalani Tuiono, 25, was saved during the aerial rescue in the Sierra over the weekend and is speaking out about the incident.
He says 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," he said. "The feeling the current had on me was like the start of a roller coaster. I'm 6-foot-4, and I've never felt so small in my life."
Tuiono said he's grateful to the highway patrol officers and the firefighters who saved him on Saturday.