Maxime Rancourt spent half an hour clinging to a rock while dangling from a cliff in California, desperately hoping someone would rescue her.

What started as a routine morning quickly took a dramatic turn when she headed out for an early swim in the San Francisco Bay area. What began as a cliff diving session turned into a desperate fight for survival.

“I was looking at the waves and said they are so beautiful. I’m a good swimmer but I don’t usually swim there,” she told ABC News, according to UNILAD.

She said everything initially felt normal as she decided to take on the waves that morning, until, suddenly, everything changed. A powerful current dragged her out to sea.

“All of a sudden, I was pulled away and then I wasn’t very far yet. I thought I could still go in the water, but the water was so intense.

I was stuck in the middle,” she said.

“I could have died”

With no other option, she clung to a rock 70ft above the ocean, hoping someone would come to her rescue.

“The current was extreme. I jumped and grabbed the rock to stay there, and the water was still coming at me,” she said. “Everything went so fast. I was on the rock and started climbing from left to right and then I realized that it wasn’t a good idea, but it was the idea to save myself in the moment.”

She remained on the rock for about 30 minutes before someone spotted her and contacted emergency services. A firefighter was able to reach her and bring her to safety. The wind was reportedly strong that day, and the water temperature was around 56 degrees.

After the rescue, she expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you for saving my life,” she said to her rescuer. “Because of you, I’m going to have a future, and I’m going to have kids.”

“I was told I was grateful to be alive, you know,” she said in an interview with ABC News. “I could have died.”