Obligatory Tourists and Mud U.K.

[klaszlo]

Hello:

Its summertime.........

http://www.bit.ly/NZsaag

They do try so*very* hard to make it
sound deadly.

KL

[Mynock]

It's not so much the mud that's dangerous but the tide. If you're not paying attention or don't know enough to watch out you could suddenly find yourself a mile out to sea.

[Beast260]

if u know the tide times ur are normally safe but if u dont... playing on the mud flats is very dangerous.

[Mike Nomic]

For the uninformed pooh-poohers amongst you, this area can readily be fatal.

No, it's not the mud, it's the tides. The tidal range locally is the second-highest in the world, with a maximum in excess of 15 metres (49 feet), so that it covers the mudflats at an astonishing speed, well in excess of walking pace, and far faster than one could move through the mud. Knowing the tide times may help, but it doesn't guarantee safe passage.

A further 12 people have been rescued locally over the last couple of days, some of them using a hovercraft named after a girl who died due to just this sort of misadventure.

Please don't anybody underestimate the risks of this area, nor the stupidity of the holidaymakers who ignore the warning signs on a daily basis, endangering themselves and putting strain on the resources of the voluntary organisations that provide the rescue service.

[BogDog]

Well said, Mike. It's easy to become complacent after you'd indulged a hobby like this for awhile.

Generic quicksand (sand and water) and gooey mud you can submerge in and pop back up in,... we know it all too well,...

... but many places have mixtures of materials that may act differently (and dangerously), especially clay-like substances. You can't float in really thick, sticky mud, but you can go under by struggling against it under the right conditions.

it's not just tides that are the significant factor.

[Beast260]

dont get me wrong everytime i think about heading to my local mud flat. i look at the tide times. normally get there when there is still 1 hr before low tide. that way. there is plenty of time if anything can go wrong.

[Lomax]

They do try so*very* hard to make it
sound deadly.

Note to non-UK residents. This story is from the Daily Mail. Do NOT take anything the daily Mail says seriously.

I've been to Brean, by the way. The lower-lying sections of the beach are very muddy, wherever the tide is - and there is (or was) a half-sunken car that some idiot managed to get terminally bogged down. However, I seriously doubt that it's possible to sink past your ankles.

[klaszlo]

Hello:

Yet more tourists(?).................
( well they could be locals)

http://www.bit.ly/MLtZUY

This does seem to be an 'attraction'

KL