The sudden waves made boating extremely unsafe after the 7.1 magnitude quake hit Mexico City.
A group of American tourists were nearly tossed out of a boat in Mexico as Tuesday's 7.1-magnitude earthquake spawned massive waves at a popular waterway.
Read: Volunteers Rush to Mexico City School Where Children Were Killed in Quake
The Floating Gardens of Xochimilco, a canal waterway in Mexico City, is a popular tourist attraction with usually calm waters, but that all changed as the quake struck.
“It got pretty violent and water was splashing into the boat. People were freaking out, people were scared because no one knew what was going on,” Lauren Smith told Inside Edition.
Smith, who's now back home in Los Angeles after witnessing the quake's devastation first-hand, says she's lucky to be alive.
"It was heartbreaking," she added. "Our area got hit really hard."
As the Earth moved, ceilings came crashing down, explosions erupted, and buildings crumbled.
Terrified passengers took cover under tables at Mexico City International Airport, which sustained so much damage that it was shut down.
Watch: Back-to-Back Natural Disasters Spark Wild Theories: 'It's a Judgment on America'
In the days since the massive earthquake, the city has undertaken a nonstop, desperate search for survivors.
Video captured the dramatic moment when children trapped in the rubble of an elementary school were rescued. Twenty-one children in the same school lost their lives when the building collapsed.
More than 225 people are confirmed dead and 1,000 others were injured.
Watch: Baby, 2 Brothers Pulled From Rubble Following 4.0 Magnitude Earthquake
