As we ventured into the centre of the river, disaster struck. The canoe, far too small for our load, capsized almost immediately. In those frantic moments, as the river swallowed us, I experienced the closest brush with death I have ever had. Despite my previous life-threatening experiences, both in expeditions and otherwise, this was a matter of mere seconds. On returning to the UK, I have since made it a point to swim at every opportunity, a testament to how profoundly this incident affected me.