Topless Kate Upton 'Was Laughing in the Face of Death' When She Was Swept Into Sea During Shoot

Anything for the shot, right Kate Upton?

The model, 25, – who was back in front of the camera for the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue – took a scary near-nude tumble during this year’s shoot – and it was all caught on camera.

Upton reunited with photographer Yu Tsai in Aruba, going to rocky lengths to get the perfect photograph while dressed in only a gold tulle skirt on top of a giant rock.

“I really saw the vision for the photo, but as I climbed on the rock I did look down and was like ‘this is going to end badly,’ ” she said in an outtake shared in a video from her shoot.

Though she managed to make her pose look effortless with the background of turquoise waters, the ocean was not as tranquil as it appeared.

Staring at the camera and posing perfectly, the model – who was not named the cover model like last year – did not notice a wave before it crashed onto her rock pedestal.

The combination of the weight of her long skirt and the strength of the water ended up making Upton tumble down the rock.

“It didn’t look that large from my point of view, but it must have hit the rock just right,” she said.

“I felt like I was laughing in the face of death,” the star added, even joking: “Looking back, that probably should have been a moment when we photoshopped me on there.”

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Last year, Upton landed her third SI Swimsuit issue cover and posed for not one, not two but three different cover images.

The Michigan-native got her first cover when she was 19 in 2012, went to Antarctica in 2013 for her second and joined the ranks of other industry legends like Christie Brinkley with her three-time cover record.

WATCH: Kate Upton Lands Third Sports Illustrated Swim Cover: ‘I Have a Completely Different Mindset About My Body’

As she continues to return to the pages of SI Swim, Upton dedicates more time in the gym.

“I found a training plan that really works for my body,” Upton told PEOPLE in December 2016. “I love feeling strong, and strength training has really changed my body.”

Upton works out five to six days a week for at least an hour each time with her trainer Ben Bruno.

And impressively, she can deadlift over 200 lbs., do sled pushes with 500 lbs., and do bear crawls with 300 lbs.