Real quicksand experiences

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beachbum
Posts: 1084
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:25 am

Re: Real quicksand experiences

Postby beachbum » Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:20 pm

Tidal mud. Very sticky. A little wet on the top just enough to sink in. I got stuck because of the force downward in my jumping and my stupidity in pumping my legs to get out which only got me deeper.

curiousguy
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:19 am

Re: Real quicksand experiences

Postby curiousguy » Tue Jun 30, 2020 9:50 pm

beachbum wrote:Tidal mud. Very sticky. A little wet on the top just enough to sink in. I got stuck because of the force downward in my jumping and my stupidity in pumping my legs to get out which only got me deeper.


Did your running shoes produce more suction than boots?

Slugjaba1922
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2014 10:46 pm

Re: Real quicksand experiences

Postby Slugjaba1922 » Sat Jul 04, 2020 3:53 am

today I got like so stuck in this construction site mud it took me 22 minutes to get back to solid ground back on the grass hill behind me. When I got out I was like dang that was fun, stupid me thought hey lets just go run and jump off that grass hill into another area of the same location. I run and then I jump out into the orange clay and sink up to my stomach and I'm almost six feet tall. Well I try pulling up a lot my arms would legit be stuck in the mud so dense in fact that every time I would pull I'd end up hurting my shoulders and I'm pretty fit with my upper body strength. Its that kind of consistency that makes you super exhausted its really no fun cause I get in there to enjoy myself only figuring it out that its hurting just to move in any direction. the second time I got in this pit. I started seeing stars trying to get my self out. I got out eventually but it took me well over 45 minutes to free myself in 95 degree weather blazing sun. it didn't help that when I would pull on my arms the clay was so dense that it would pull my arm into the mud and when I got one above the mud the mud was so heavy it felt like every time i would raise my hand it would be like holding a 8 pound weight above my head. Mind you both times I did this bit I was only within arms reach or a small few steps away from the land that was solid to walk on. If I didn't hydrate myself before going today I would of probably took a dangerous nap in the mud cause I was seeing stars from exhausting myself. I probably won't go back to that part of the pit until it looks like the rest of the pits that moist and cold cause of the water content and much easier to move in.
I did film it but I plan on keeping my footage private cause I was nude and I don't like putting my nude stuff on the internet.

curiousguy
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:19 am

Re: Real quicksand experiences

Postby curiousguy » Fri Aug 21, 2020 5:23 am

beachbum wrote:Tidal mud. Very sticky. A little wet on the top just enough to sink in. I got stuck because of the force downward in my jumping and my stupidity in pumping my legs to get out which only got me deeper.


Were tides ever a danger in where you got stuck?

beachbum
Posts: 1084
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:25 am

Re: Real quicksand experiences

Postby beachbum » Fri Aug 21, 2020 4:01 pm

I usually go at lowtide so I never had a point where I was stuck so long as when the tide came back. But if I was not careful, that could happen, but I never remotely take that chance. I would have to be stuck for hours but usually I get no more than 15-20 minutes even though it is rather exhausting.

curiousguy
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:19 am

Re: Real quicksand experiences

Postby curiousguy » Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:02 am

beachbum wrote:I think this is a great topic as I love hearing about real quicksand experiences!

I had one while running here in NJ. I like running along the trails here and my area is close to rivers and bays leading into the ocean. There is a trail I run on that goes along a shallow stream, but one day as I was running the stream was dry as it was low tide. I decided foolishly that maybe I could run across it to the trail on the other side rather than going completely around the stream.

As I jumped to go across, my one leg instantly sank thigh deep into the mud leaving my other leg partially out of the mud. Then I tried to get out pushing my other leg down and that made it worse sinking into the mud. I was now thigh deep with both legs and quite stuck. The problem was I have these big cushion running shoes and could hear them sucking on the water underneath the surface. So I did the worse thing possible by pumping my legs up and down to try and get out and I sank up to my waist until I stopped realizing I was making things worse.

On one hand, I was enjoying the fact that I was in the mud, but quite concerned that no one was around and I was quite stuck. There was no one around as it was later in the evening. At least I knew what to do at this point and leaned back to try and get myself out. There was no way I could get my shoes off. The mud was very sticky and was so thick it was an inch or two at a time trying to get out. I was glad I was not deeper I would be in big trouble. My huge problem was my shoes. I would pull out just a little bit and feel my shoes pulling up but then the suction would sink me back to where I was. I was now getting really worried about it getting dark and the tide coming back. I jumped so I was too far away from hard ground to reach.

So i just decided to wiggle one leg at a time slowly back and forth and then after 15 exhausting minutes or so, I broke free with my shoe and it was not that hard to get out after that. I did the same with the other leg which took some time as well. I then ran back to my car with muddy legs and almost dark, and took a good shower when I got home.


Also, how wide was the stream you tried to jump across?

Sinkman61
Posts: 193
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2014 5:20 am
Location: Saint Augustine, Florida

Re: Real quicksand experiences

Postby Sinkman61 » Sat Sep 26, 2020 2:14 am

Kipcicles2 wrote:I might have put this one up before here on QSF, but it's one of the more terrifying ones. This happened quite a while ago but I seem to remember it so clearly - as if it is scarred into my memory :/

I was on a Saturday morning job when I slipped up on the wet ground and slid down a short dirty cliff (about 2 or 3 meters high) and down into a big mud pit! I went in straight up to about mid-thigh, but my simple movements from trying to turn myself around and adjust to my surroundings made me go down to my waist. I didn't know how to swim, which really didn't help!

I had sunk up to my neck in the pit (bearing in mind I still wasn't feeling the bottom), when I heard footsteps so I shouted out and waited for 3 guys, about 18 or 19 years old each, to peer over the edge of the cliff I had fallen down around an hour ago. One of them went home to get towels and blankets IF I made it out alive, one of them went to get some kinda tree branch to use to help me out, while the other just stayed with me. It was really, really cold...but that wasn't really the biggest thing on my mind. I thought I was actually gonna die! A few minutes later and I had disappeared completely. I counted in my head for how long I was under the surface - 48 seconds - before I felt movement from somewhere in the pit. Next thing I know, one of the guys is wrapping my arms around a big ol' tree branch to sort-of "tow" me out the mud!

Despite almost getting hypothermia, receiving treatment for foreign substances in my lungs, as well as a fair share of injections, I was relatively unharmed from that incident. I'm also real grateful tot he lads who rescued me - without their quick-thinking and simple good-will, I wouldn't be here to tell the tale!


Your story is very similar to another that I had read at another location. That writer described how scared he was that he was going to drown. The only mud that I’ve ever experienced that’ll allow you to sink as though you have no buoyancy point I staid always mud. And not all tidal mud either. It has to be thick enough to keep you from simply floating back up to the surface, but not so thick that you won’t sink into it easily. And the only reason tidal mud allows you to sink like you’re in a Hollywood movie scene is because it creates more than enough suction to hold you down in it’s grip despite your body’s natural tendency to float back up to the surface. But in order to sink down to the point that you’re about to inhale mud and goo, you need to be practically panicked to the point that you keep shoving your feet down into it deeper and deeper. Normally when the mud is up around your ears your ability to keep thrashing about is seriously diminished enough that you’ll stop sinking any further. So if your head is tilted back, your face should be about even with the surface so you can still breathe. That’s the typical depth that I sink down to. At that point I stop and just stay like that for an hour or more while I enjoy the feeling of the mud as it squeezes in on my body all over. Sometimes I’ll sink down 3-6 inches more and allow the mud to start closing in over my face, as long as my nose remains where I can still breathe.

As the human body is nearly twice as dense as quicksand, I’m wondering how you were able to naturally sink down to the point that you injected mud into your lungs. That’s what typical Hollywood movie scripts try to get people to believe. But that’s not how quicksand really works. The average person will stop sinking once they’re between their waist or rib cage deep in the stuff where they’ll hit their buoyancy point and stop sinking. When I go sinking in tidal mud, I purposely look for mud that won’t be effected by my buoyancy point so I can easily sink down well past that. But if I have someone with less experience, I take them to where their buoyancy point will still prevent them from going completely under, yet it really won’t be a factor until they’re practically neck deep. I have no interest in ever seeing anyone get into real trouble under my watch. So likewise, I don’t allow people who go sinking with me to use heavy rubber boots or any type of waders, as they create too much suction. Additionally, I expect those that go sinking with me to be in really good shape as well. That’s because without having access to a fire hose, you essentially have to be able to extricate yourself from the mud. I’m not going to be able to do that for you. All I’d end up doing is sinking down as deep or even deeper than you happen to be. Thus, don’t go sinking any deeper than you can escape from. And don’t be too quick in thinking that you can’t escape either. Earlier this year I sank down in a spot to where I was shoulder deep. As the mud was quite a bit thicker down around my legs, I decided not to go down any further, as I already knew I was going to have to dig myself back out. This turned out to be the stickiest mud I’ve ever been in. Thus, it took around 2 full hours to escape. Getting back up to being waist deep took roughly 15 to 20 minutes. That was the easy part. But getting the rest of the way out was a real bear. It challenged every muscle in my body, as the suction was just relentless. It didn’t seem to matter how much material I dug up either...my feet just didn’t want to break free. So I switched to working on only one leg and dug quite a large area out down to my knee so I wouldn’t have to yank on them so hard (I already have bad knees as it is). Then I worked my way down to the base of my foot from the back side so I could finally break the suction. Once I got that leg out I now had leverage to slowly work my other leg back up to the surface. Meanwhile, my free leg had managed to get pushed back down sideways about 2 feet deep again. Normally that would’ve been completely insignificant, but not in this glue pit. It was my toughest extraction ever. I have no desire to sink in that spot again. I would say this was simply because I’m getting older (I’m 59), but no, that’s definitely not the case. I’ve spent the past five years using a professional trainer at the gym to rebuild my body thanks to a horrific motorcycle accident I had which resulted in having 1 vertebrae and 7 disk being removed from my back. I’m now considerably stronger than I’ve ever been before, including back when I was just a young lad in the military. While I’m limited in what I can do these days, that’s because I can’t tolerate any hard impacts, but sinking isn’t a high impact sport.

Stay safe and sink on!!!

Ladyinneed
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2020 9:42 pm

Re: Real quicksand experiences

Postby Ladyinneed » Wed Jan 27, 2021 6:55 am

beachbum wrote:I think this is a great topic as I love hearing about real quicksand experiences!

I had one while running here in NJ. I like running along the trails here and my area is close to rivers and bays leading into the ocean. There is a trail I run on that goes along a shallow stream, but one day as I was running the stream was dry as it was low tide. I decided foolishly that maybe I could run across it to the trail on the other side rather than going completely around the stream.

As I jumped to go across, my one leg instantly sank thigh deep into the mud leaving my other leg partially out of the mud. Then I tried to get out pushing my other leg down and that made it worse sinking into the mud. I was now thigh deep with both legs and quite stuck. The problem was I have these big cushion running shoes and could hear them sucking on the water underneath the surface. So I did the worse thing possible by pumping my legs up and down to try and get out and I sank up to my waist until I stopped realizing I was making things worse.

On one hand, I was enjoying the fact that I was in the mud, but quite concerned that no one was around and I was quite stuck. There was no one around as it was later in the evening. At least I knew what to do at this point and leaned back to try and get myself out. There was no way I could get my shoes off. The mud was very sticky and was so thick it was an inch or two at a time trying to get out. I was glad I was not deeper I would be in big trouble. My huge problem was my shoes. I would pull out just a little bit and feel my shoes pulling up but then the suction would sink me back to where I was. I was now getting really worried about it getting dark and the tide coming back. I jumped so I was too far away from hard ground to reach.

So i just decided to wiggle one leg at a time slowly back and forth and then after 15 exhausting minutes or so, I broke free with my shoe and it was not that hard to get out after that. I did the same with the other leg which took some time as well. I then ran back to my car with muddy legs and almost dark, and took a good shower when I got home.

I'm glad you made it out okay but I wish I got to see this! The accidental sinking would of been nice to see.

beachbum
Posts: 1084
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:25 am

Re: Real quicksand experiences

Postby beachbum » Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:00 pm

Ladyinneed wrote:
beachbum wrote:I think this is a great topic as I love hearing about real quicksand experiences!

I had one while running here in NJ. I like running along the trails here and my area is close to rivers and bays leading into the ocean. There is a trail I run on that goes along a shallow stream, but one day as I was running the stream was dry as it was low tide. I decided foolishly that maybe I could run across it to the trail on the other side rather than going completely around the stream.

As I jumped to go across, my one leg instantly sank thigh deep into the mud leaving my other leg partially out of the mud. Then I tried to get out pushing my other leg down and that made it worse sinking into the mud. I was now thigh deep with both legs and quite stuck. The problem was I have these big cushion running shoes and could hear them sucking on the water underneath the surface. So I did the worse thing possible by pumping my legs up and down to try and get out and I sank up to my waist until I stopped realizing I was making things worse.

On one hand, I was enjoying the fact that I was in the mud, but quite concerned that no one was around and I was quite stuck. There was no one around as it was later in the evening. At least I knew what to do at this point and leaned back to try and get myself out. There was no way I could get my shoes off. The mud was very sticky and was so thick it was an inch or two at a time trying to get out. I was glad I was not deeper I would be in big trouble. My huge problem was my shoes. I would pull out just a little bit and feel my shoes pulling up but then the suction would sink me back to where I was. I was now getting really worried about it getting dark and the tide coming back. I jumped so I was too far away from hard ground to reach.

So i just decided to wiggle one leg at a time slowly back and forth and then after 15 exhausting minutes or so, I broke free with my shoe and it was not that hard to get out after that. I did the same with the other leg which took some time as well. I then ran back to my car with muddy legs and almost dark, and took a good shower when I got home.

I'm glad you made it out okay but I wish I got to see this! The accidental sinking would of been nice to see.


I wish you were there too. I was really stuck and needed help!


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