There probably is an element of randomness, of course - especially given the Admiral's penchant for so - but even included, there is also the goal to learn about oneself. Maybe this isn't happening in every flood, or maybe it's happening on a level we don't understand, not consciously, or maybe only a certain amount of people are affected every flood, and those people change every time, while the rest are afflicted by seemingly random effects.

But I don't believe that what we become in floods or breaches is totally random, every time.