Quicksand Fans

Hey, I'm new to this and just wanted to ask how to stay safe when going in? What should I bring / do. When I do go I think I'm going to bring somebody with me so I'm safe, but other than that what else should I do?

A sinking buddy is never a bad idea but isn't 100% necessary as long as you keep your wits about you. The level of precaution needed will depend entirely on what is available to you and how you plan on sinking. I can only speak from my experience so take it with a grain of salt.

I've been doing exclusively solo sinking for some time now in creek and river mud ranging from knee deep to over my head. Assuming you aren't trespassing to get to your spot, the number one cause for concern when sinking isn't the mud itself. It's whats in and around the mud. Things like sticks, stray pieces of bark, rocks, etc. can all really ruin your day when sinking and insects, thorns, and poison ivy can all ruin it even more getting to and from your spot. For that reason, I always wear long pants and sturdy shoes when traveling to my sinking spots. Some people prefer to wear waders, and they will definitely help protect you from the elements but be aware that they are much more likely to get stuck. I tend to sink wearing anything from normal clothes (with a change obviously) to completely nude so that's not really my forte. When clothed, I find it is a good layer of protection against what is in the mud but if you plan on sinking nude or close to it, you're gonna get some cuts and scratches. As long as you clean up really well and scrub all of the dirt off with soap and water in the shower you should be fine but keep an eye out for infections as they can happen. It is mud after all. If you plan on going in barefoot, keep your toenails as trimmed as possible to avoid getting some thick mud wedged up in there as you're pumping your legs.

Beyond that, scope the area out to make sure that A) There is actually sinkable mud there. The QS map and google maps is a great tool for that if you don't have a spot picked out already. and B) No one is going to catch you in a potentially embarrassing situation. I would recommend staying away from private property. That doesn't seem to bother some and there can be some great spots gated off but consider the greater chance of getting caught and the much greater consequences for getting caught.

Lastly, don't push yourself too far! Make sure that you aren't going to wind yourself while extracting and make sure you are comfortable extracting yourself before pushing yourself too deep. This step is two fold as it gives you the confidence that you can do it and also churns up the mud making for a better sinking experience anyway!

Like I said, this is just based on my personal way of doing things and some might disagree but I hope this helps you out a bit. Have fun with it! Its a hell of a time!

exeostuff wrote:Hey, I'm new to this and just wanted to ask how to stay safe when going in? What should I bring / do. When I do go I think I'm going to bring somebody with me so I'm safe, but other than that what else should I do?

1. Don’t ever sink deeper than you’re capable of getting yourself out of. There’s a video on YouTube made by some guy that’s actually showing others how to escape from quicksand. Anyhow, during the sinking part, he can be seen rocking back and forth while barely sinking at all. When it came time for him to escape, well, he couldn’t. He had become completely entrapped.

2. When you’re sinking, pay attention to layers in the mud. Don’t force yourself into extra thick layers that are more than knee deep under the mud, because you’re not going to be able to dig yourself out.

3. Gfootwear is very important. I highly recommend boots, because they not going to be pulled off your feet by the suction. Plus they provide good ankle support. Boots will protect your feet from hazards in the mud, especially if you’re in tidal mud. That’s because there’s the occasional oyster shell that can slice through your foot like a razor blade. Then you’re prone to an infection. You’re in mud after all. Boots with heavy soles can be dangerous, as they create an immense amount of suction that’s really hard to overcome. But fear not. Determination and a decent amount of knowledge can still free you, but only if you don’t panic. That’s your worst enemy. The jerking around your going to do when panicking will only push you deeper into the mud.

4. Don’t assume that you can’t sink deeper than your buoyancy point. You most certainly can. Your buoyancy point is where you will naturally stop sinking, as that’s where your weight and the amount of mud you’ve displaced have become the same. That doesn’t mean that you can’t sink deeper. And don’t assume that if you sink deeper that you’ll just pop back up. That’s not always the case. In fact, if you’re in really sticky mud, you’ll continue to sink IF you continue to agitate the mud below you. That’s because of the extreme suction that’s created by very sticky mud. If you push your foot further down, you’ll also pull your body further down when you pull that foot back up. I’ve found that with the incredibly sticky tidal mud around where I live, sinking to one’s shoulders and neck are easily accomplished simply by using the same motion you used to sink to begin with. The suction is more than strong enough to hold you down. You simply stop sinking because you can barely move anymore. Of course, you would’ve stopped sinking much earlier had you stopped moving about earlier. When you’re neck deep, you had better be able to get yourself back out.

5. Full submergence in deep mud is the ultimate goal for the hardcore mudder. Just make sure it’s not your last sink. I generally sink deeper than others I’m with, and will sink vertically down in somewhat thick and extremely sticky mud until the mud is closing in over the top of my head. At that point, the surface is well above your arms. Don’t just do what you see others doing however. Just because they can doesn’t mean you can. I’ve got 50 years of experience sinking in mud. I was sinking long before most in here were even born. I was sinking long before I even knew it was a “thing.” I used to think it was something I did that was highly abnormal, and even tried to stop playing in mud altogether. Obviously that never happened, because after a few weeks would go by, the mud would start calling back out to me...”come play....”. Anyhow, in all that time, I’ve only had two close calls getting stuck, and 1 close call getting caught. I don’t worry about getting caught anymore, as there’s more than enough YouTube videos to justify why I’m chest deep in mud. Hell, for that matter, I just didn’t want to pay some spa for a mud bath when there’s so much mud around to get a mud bath for free. Besides that, the person who catches you would most likely be right in there with you if they had even the slightest clue about how good mud feels on the skin...and they weren’t too chicken to try it themselves. If you follow these common sense rules, you’ll be fine when you go sinking by yourself. Besides, having someone else with you isn’t a guarantee that you’ll get out. They’d have to be incredibly strong to pull you from mud because of the suction alone. The amount of force required to pull someone from the mud by overcoming the suction is enough to lift a medium sized car. They may help dig you out, but they’re certainly not going to pull you out.

STAY SAFE, STAY SINKING...

Sinkman pretty much nailed it. I do agree with all of the points mentioned.

About #3 i don't get the exact meaning of it. So to wear or not to wear?
(I do always go out into the bogs or mudflats with "appropiate" boots, meaning at least tall wellies or hip- or chest-waders. They do create a lot of suction and i do get stuck quite often, but thats exactly the way i prefer. A lot of other folks would recommend going without any footwear at all, though. (More easy to sink and get out, a more sensual experience..))

Sinkman61 wrote:
3. Gfootwear is very important. I highly recommend boots, because they not going to be pulled off your feet by the suction. Plus they provide good ankle support. Boots will protect your feet from hazards in the mud, especially if you’re in tidal mud. That’s because there’s the occasional oyster shell that can slice through your foot like a razor blade. Then you’re prone to an infection. You’re in mud after all. Boots with heavy soles can be dangerous, as they create an immense amount of suction that’s really hard to overcome. But fear not. Determination and a decent amount of knowledge can still free you, but only if you don’t panic. That’s your worst enemy. The jerking around your going to do when panicking will only push you deeper into the mud.

Always, ALWAYS WEAR GOOD FOOTWEAR. Other than that, it’s entirely up to you. I usually wear as little as possible, at least, during the summer. I simply don’t want ANYTHING to impede the feeling of having extremely sticky mud basically gluing itself to my skin. When I come up from a deep sink, I probably weigh about 100 pounds more because of all the mud stuck to me. But that mud simply feels amazing. Anyhow, during fall and spring sinks, I like to wear camouflage utilities. We call them BDU’s. They’re incredibly rugged and will stand up to anything you can possibly throw at them. Plus, they hide any areas of mud I didn’t manage to wash off, so, other than being wet, nobody where I go sinking would suspect that I was playing in the mud. The area I go sinking is in a rather large tidal estuary. It’s literally got 100’s of acres of deep muddy bliss. Much of it is completely isolated. It’s an amazing area. Sometimes I just go butt naked. That’s my favorite. But even then, I have boots on my feet. The boots I wear I purchased just for sinking. They’re neoprene water boots with an extra heavy sole. They also have laces so they’ll never get pulled off your feet. I literally had the soles of an old pair of combat boots pulled off because of the mud’s suction. But not with these. It’s as if these boots were made for mudding. I’ll add more information on them when I look them up so you all can go order yourselves some. My current pair are three years old and are holding up really well.

Here’s a picture of the boots I wear when I go mudding. They contain no metal parts so they won’t corrode like nearly every other boot will start doing. These were specifically made for professionals that work in mud and water all day long.

These boots can be found online at Amazon.com. They’re called “NRS Workboot Neoprene Wetshoe Kayak Shoes” by NRS.

They run a bit small. Also, they can be really hard to get into them. I recommend using some liquid dish soap on both your heels and the tops of your feet. Do the same with the corresponding areas inside the boots. Keep in mind, your feet are going to get wet anyhow. Then they’ll slide right on. Make sure to tightly cover the laces with the provided straps.

NEVER GO MUDDING NAKED. At least put some high quality foot protection on your feet. As for the rest, well, that’s completely up to you.


...Keep on mudding...

cj125 wrote:A sinking buddy is never a bad idea but isn't 100% necessary as long as you keep your wits about you. The level of precaution needed will depend entirely on what is available to you and how you plan on sinking.

A sinking buddy is great, but I’ve just about given up on them. If I had to rely on others in order to go sinking, I might get to go every other year. Of course, being in the Navy made it much harder. But I’ve NEVER allowed that to stop me. The truth is, other than getting a professional rescue team on site, your sinking buddy isn’t going to be able to get you out of mud or quicksand. The suction alone is going to be stronger than your sinking buddy. Chances are, he’ll end up stuck right beside you. He can help dig you out, but even that’s not that simple. That’s because again, he’s likely to sink right next to you. So when you go sinking, learn to get yourself out WITHOUT relying on someone else. That’s the only way to guarantee yourself a terrific life with quicksand. So you need to thoroughly understand what quicksand is and how it works. And remember, slow always wins the race. That means taking your time so you don’t get too tired, taking your time so you don’t panic, and taking your time so you don’t over agitate the quicksand. Again, NEVER BELIEVE THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU’VE HIT YOUR BUOYANCY POINT THAT YOU CAN’T SINK FURTHER. Suction is a far more powerful force and the suction alone can hold you down well below your buoyancy point. If you’re in peat types of mud with clumps of plant matter, yeah, the suction such mud creates won’t be nearly as strong as say, tidal mud. So if you’re sinking in a bog, I wouldn’t worry about having to deal with a powerful suction force. You’ll seriously have to force yourself below the surface and the second you stop trying to hold yourself down, you’ll pop right back up. But tidal mud’s a completely different animal. If you keep pumping your legs to sink, even slowly, you WILL CONTINUE TO SINK. That’s because you’re shoving a foot downward over and over. And every time you pull a lower foot upwards, you’ll sink just a little bit more. You’ll continue to sink until either you stop pumping your legs, you can’t pump your legs because of the pressure surrounding them, or the friction of the mud against your body is finally enough to overcome the suction you keep creating with your feet. For me, that’s about when my chin starts going in the mud. But I’m short and have really powerful legs. Additionally, if and when you go under in such mud, you WON’T FLOAT BACK UP. Instead you’re going to become a future fossil that someone will dig up in a few million years. So plan accordingly. The type of mud matters.

If you’re sinking in a bog and love wearing waders, go for it. Bogs generally don’t have tides, so getting stuck isn’t nearly as critical an issue, as long as it’s not overly hot or cold. If you get stuck for a couple of days, the worst that’s going to happen is...you’ll get hungry. Just hope there’s not other hungry critters around that can find and snack on you. I can certainly see the attraction in getting stuck. It presents a challenge of getting unstuck. As long as you’re in an area where that’s safe, then go for it and enjoy.

Something that I have used to free myself from extremely thick mud is to inject water next to my feet using a water toy called a Stream Machine. You just need to keep some water close by or within reach of the end of the Stream Machine.

The main reason you get stuck is that as you try to lift your leg you create a vacuum(suction) under your foot. That vacuum is what is holding your foot in place. The harder you try to lift, the stronger the vacuum. There is also weight on top of your foot that you are working against but the vacuum is the main reason you get stuck. To relieve that vacuum and allow you to raise your foot, something needs to fill the vacuum being created under your foot. In loose mud, the adjacent mud moves easily to fill that vacuum. But in thick mud, little to nothing moves to fill the vacuum so you stay stuck or start working very hard to get a little movement. Fun ... but tiring. And what if you needed to get out fast?

By injecting water near your feet you are helping to loosen the thick mud so that it will flow more easily and relieve the vacuum.