^{_{Past Simple}}
In summer 2010, I woke up early because I planned a trip with my friends. We arrived at the beach at 10 AM and started swimming. The sun was shining, and the water was cool. After some time, we played volleyball and laughed.

^{_{Past Continuous}}
While we were swimming, dark clouds appeared. The wind blew strongly, and the waves got bigger. I was trying to get out when I saw my friend struggling in the water.

^{_{Past Perfect}}
Luckily, the lifeguards had seen the problem before it got worse. When they reached my friend, he was very weak. They pulled him to shore, and we felt safe. But we knew the day had been very dangerous.