Is is really dangerous or am I just lucky

[thyladras02]

they just do'nt know how to get out xD

[Fred588]

So I am getting ready to check out another mud spot this week and in the process of researching it found several mud "rescues" that have taken place in the area. Turns out people need rescue all the time from the mud.

So my question is: Is it really that possible to get stuck and need professional rescue or am I just lucky. The 100's of times I've been in the mud (even neck deep) I've always been able to self-extract.

Anyone have any thoughts on why so many people (most only stuck waist deep) need rescue?

The most likely explanation is either very poorphysical fitness or they are stuck in sand that has locked up.

[gamwam]

It's true, non mud folk try to drag there knees up resulting in them just becoming more mired and to tired to get out, - they just don't know what there Doing!

I grew up in a town surrounded by mudflats!, people were always getting stuck and rescued, usually holiday makers! even experienced fishermen managed to get stuck (probably more the result of wearing heavy wellies or waders!) - however I played in those flats sinking completely under - vertically from the age of well, 10 years old or so? Right up untill adult hood, I even went in head first diving from nearby rocks deep into the mud, and I never once got stuck!

Think some of it can be related to what someone is wearing on there feet at the time though :-/

[dlodoski]

...Anyone have any thoughts on why so many people (most only stuck waist deep) need rescue?

They had sole.

(Shoes and Boots)

Tight beach shoes are best for sinking in natural areas. They protect the feet but do not allow for much more suction than bare feet would incur.

[Litigius]

One thing I think those people needing rescue have in common is that they really didn't want to be in deep mud, or even get dirty. Most of us are aware of how much more buoyant our torsos are than our limbs, and we use that knowledge to our advantage (and, it has to be said, to our enjoyment). I would guess that the "stuckees" want to avoid getting any dirtier than they are, and so try as hard as they can to avoid using anything but their hands and feet. That, and their belief that there is no way anyone could extract themselves from waist-deep mud...

[Nessie]

If you get into that kind of sand that cements around you, then you can get stuck. I had some experience with that on my first sinking. My mud partner and I basked too long in that kind of sand and it locked around our limbs. We dug each other out, and it didn't feel dangerous, but it was annoying and it did take some time and I could see where somebody could get into real trouble if they got deeper than we did and if the sand was even more lock-prone.

In mud that just stays the same and never cements, though? Like peat and good silky clay?

I just climb out. That's it. Not one of my sinking sites have the cementing stuff.

It could be true, though, that we who spend a lot of time seeking out mud deep enough to play the role of quicksand get pretty good at negotiating the mudpits.

Normal people who don't like mud and quicksand would be all freaked out by an experience with a mudpit like the one I experienced. They would say, "Yikes! I'm so glad I escaped! There is nothing you could ever say that would make me set foot anywhere near that horrible death trap again!"

But what did we do?

We cleaned up, we went out for lunch, I found a mud dress...and we were back out there...and by the end of the day, I had figured out how to get back into that mudpit and move around in it without getting stuck.

Normal people just don't DO that.

Nessie

[Nessie]

Tight beach shoes are best for sinking in natural areas. They protect the feet but do not allow for much more suction than bare feet would incur.

Yes, those are perfect. For a good sinking, I'm never without them.

Nessie