Reason why you should never turn your back on the sea as terrifying video shows the dangers

A group of beachgoers had a very near miss while out swimming in Hawaii.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 4,500 people died by drowning each year between 2020 to 2022 in the US, which was up 500 from 2019.

In a bid to prevent your risk of drowning, the CDC urges people to learn basic swimming and water safety skills; wearing a life jacket while boating; and not consuming alcohol before taking part in any water-based activities.

While the CDC gives such advice, there's an age-old saying in Hawaii of 'Mai Huli`oe I Kokua o Ke Kai', which translates to 'never turn your back on the ocean'.

Surfer and film star Duke Kahanamoku helped popularize the saying in a bid to urge people to be wary of the dangers the sea poses.

And a group of swimmers who recently visited a beach on the North Shore in Oahu, Hawaii, probably wish that they'd followed such advice after narrowly escaping what could have been a serious accident.

In the video, three swimmers were seen on a rocky area of the beach when a series of huge waves suddenly appeared and crashed into them.

Just as they tried to get up to get back to shore, another wave came in and crashed into them once more.

The video caught the moment one guy managed to flee the waves and get back to dry land, but the fate of the other two men wasn't clear.

The clip was taken by Matt Moore, who owns Rincon Designs Surf Shop in Carpinteria, California.

Honolulu Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Division has since reshared the footage on social media and given an update on the swimmers.

It wrote on Facebook: "This was scary. This happened today [November 30] at Sharks Cove during a large water swell.

"911 was already called at the time the video was taken. This video speaks volumes to how dangerous it can be.

"Fortunately these three young men went home tonight but they were seriously cut up.

"Please share and stay safe."

Video-taker Matt has also spoken out on the ordeal and labeled it as a 'good lesson' while also sharing his relief to learn that the men involved were OK.

Taking to TikTok, he said in a follow-up video: "It's a good lesson to everybody that's visiting Hawaii and to be careful."

"Those guys were locals and they almost got taken out," Matt added.