Quicksand Fans

Here's some photos from the 2015 season of sinking in tidal mud. I never could touch bottom at this location. There's literally thousands of acres of this tidal mud in all sorts of consistencies, everything from thin to thick, from shallow to well over one's head all up and down the Intercoastal Waterway, from Jacksonville down to Saint Augustine, then south of Saint Augustine down towards Daytona. NE Florida is truely the mud mecca of the southern United States. Just watch out Water Moccasins and Rattle Snakes as you hike along. And beware of Pygmy Rattlers too. They may be small, but they're still deadly. I've never seen any, but I know that they're around. You might even come across an occasional Alligator as well. I've seen areas where they've laid the grasses down as they've made their way from nesting sites to the water. This is a sensative environmental area, so please, leave nothing behind other than your footsteps.

wow great pics,. looks like a lovely place for fun,. I'm very jelouse,... I hope maybe one day you can make a video that would be amazing

Awesome location, man! Thanks for sharing your pics with us.

what great mud ! Not often I can find thick mud that deep Usually the deep stuff is soft ooze not sticky like that

would love to join you in there!

Here are some pictures of the mudflats from Google Earth. If you go to that site, you'll find this between the Intercoastal Waterway and A1A. Parking for the area is at the river Guana River Estuary. There's a $3.00 per vehicle entry fee. Once in the park, you drive past the fishing area to the back parking lot. Its then a hike in through jeep trails to the Intercoastal. There's plenty of places to hide it where it won't be bothered. Although there's mud just north and south of the opening to the beach here, there's also plenty of people who go here by foot and boat. Besides, there's much better mud elsewhere. If you then head north along the shoreline, you'll actually come across sinking mud that makes up the Eastern bank of the Intercoastal. However, this area is highly exposed to boat traffic. However, if you want to find the area that I go, you're going to either do a whole lot of hiking and exploring or just go with me. Having a bike helps tremendously, as its more than a mile to the Intercoastal. That doesn't seem that far until you're being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Then it feels more like five miles. Where I go is tucked away, completely hidden from any trails or boaters. I always take my bike with me and place it on the bank next to the mudflats so nobody bothers it. The mud at this site is awesome. Super sticky and VERY deep. Unlike others in here who put up videos claiming to be in deep mud, I personally feel that unless the mud is over your head, its not deep at all. To me, "deep" means that you can't touch the bottom.

Anyhow, if anyone is interested in going, just let me know. The tides are perfect for sinking this week. Low tide is just before noon on Sunday. It advances about an hour later each day. I prefer to give myself a four hour window where I know I'm safe from incoming tides. That means going one to two hours before lowtide and leaving one to two hours afterwards. There's ample water in the form of tidal creeks and the Intercoastal to do a thorough cleanup. The only water you need to bring in with you is drinking water. Bring plenty. Having an Army web belt with a couple of canteens is a great way to carry water. So is a camel back.

looks great,. gives me inspiration to get off my ass and go find something deep,. do you think u will upload the video to youtube? u cols list it privately and post the link here for us ? - gaz

Yes, very impressive looking site - that tidal mud is, in my opinion, the perfect consistency.

I wonder - do your tidal flats smell as bad as the ones up here in Massachusetts?? If not, I may stop by yours on my trip to Florida this June.

Michael

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MichaelL_Photo wrote:Yes, very impressive looking site - that tidal mud is, in my opinion, the perfect consistency.

I wonder - do your tidal flats smell as bad as the ones up here in Massachusetts?? If not, I may stop by yours on my trip to Florida this June.

Michael

No, they don’t. Our tidal mud flats don’t stink at all. I know exactly what you’re talking about when it comes to smelly mud. That’s caused by having lots of plant matter that’s decaying in the mud. That’s generally not the case here, as there’s wide open expanses of mud that aren’t close to the banks where plants matter would be. This stuff is pure silky smooth, super sticky tidal mud that’s slowly built up over 100’s of years from massive storms. The water in the tidal flats is mostly salt which has a profound effect on any mud that mixes with the salt. For some reason, such mud is supercharged with extra stickiness. This mud really clings to everything it touches, making it much more difficult to escape from. Super sticky mud makes for a super powerful suction. Thus, getting below your buoyancy point is simply a matter of continued sinking without having to work to pull yourself down further.