Video: Man clings to rock after getting caught in turbulent rapids

NORTH SAN JUAN, California -- A man clung to a rock after being overpowered turbulent rapids in the Yuba River in California until crews arrived to help over the weekend, and the dramatic rescue was caught on video.

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.