You're hiking alone in the wild, lost and confused, when you suddenly wake up and find yourself trapped in quicksand and sinking fast. Is this the end of your life? Not necessarily! Quicksand isn't as dangerous as it seems in the movies, but it's still a mysterious phenomenon. Almost any sand or silt can become quicksand if it is sufficiently saturated with water and/or subjected to intense vibrations, as occurs during an earthquake. Here's what to do if you find yourself being sucked in or sinking into the earth.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Getting Your Feet Out
Step 1. Drop everything
If you get into quicksand while wearing a backpack or carrying something heavy, take off your backpack immediately or drop anything you're carrying. Since sand is denser than the body, you can't completely sink unless you panic too much and fight back too much or you're weighed down by something heavy..
If it's possible to take your shoes off, do so. Especially shoes with flat, inflexible soles (mostly boots for example) create stronger suction when you try to pull your foot out of the quicksand. If you have foreseen the possibility of facing quicksand, change your shoes and it's better to go barefoot or wear shoes that allow you to easily pull on your feet and take them off
Step 2. Move horizontally
If your feet feel trapped, take a few quick steps back before the sand begins to suck. It usually takes a minute for the sand mixture to melt/soften, which means the best method for freeing yourself is not to get stuck at all in the first place.
If your foot is already stuck, avoid taking big, slow steps to try to get yourself out. Taking a big step forward may release one leg, but it pushes your other foot all the way down, making it very difficult to actually get off
Step 3. Lie back
Sit back and lean back if your foot gets stuck quickly. Creating a larger "footprint" can free your foot by removing the pressure it creates, allowing the foot to "float". When your feet begin to free, roll to the side away from the quicksand and free from its grip. You might get dirty, but it's the quickest and safest way to break free.
Step 4. Don't rush
If you're caught in quicksand, the frantic moves will only do you harm. Whatever you do, do it slowly. Slow motion won't make you stir up the quicksand; Vibrations caused by rapid movement can turn relatively hard soil into part of quicksand..
More importantly, the sand can react unexpectedly to your movements. If you move slowly, you can more easily stop the adverse reaction and prevent yourself from getting trapped further. You need to be patient. Depending on how much quicksand is around you, it could take a few minutes or even hours to slowly get yourself out of it
Part 2 of 3: Out Of The Deep Quicksand
Step 1. Take it easy
Quicksand is usually no more than a few tens of centimeters to about a meter, but if you happen to get stuck in very deep places, you can sink quickly enough to your waist or chest. If you panic you can sink even further, but if you relax, the buoyancy of your body will keep you afloat.
Take a deep breath. This will not only help you stay calm, it will also make you lighter. Keep as much air in your lungs as possible. It is impossible to "sink down" if your lungs are full of air
Step 2. Use your back and "swim
If you sink to your hips or higher, bend your body back. The more you spread your weight, the harder it is to sink. Float on your back while you slowly and carefully release your legs. Once your legs are free you can gradually slightly escape to safety by using your hands to slowly and carefully push yourself back in a sweeping motion, as if you were swimming. Once you are close to the edge of the quicksand, you can roll onto the ground harder.
Step 3. Use a stick
Always carry a stick with you whenever you are in a country with the potential for quicksand. When you feel your ankle sinking, place the stick on the surface of the sand horizontally behind you. Drop it onto your back on the stick. After a minute or two, you will reach balance and you will stop sinking. Move the stick to a new position; move it under your hips. The bar will prevent your hips from sinking, so you can slowly pull one leg free, then the other.
Stay on your back with your hands and feet fully touching the quicksand and use the stick as a guide. Slowly move sideways along the stick towards the firm ground
Step 4. Take occasional breaks
Getting out of quicksand can be exhausting, so you need to be tactful and conserve your energy before you get too tired.
- However, you must act quickly, as the pressure of the sand can shut off your blood flow and cause nerve damage, leaving you so numb that it is almost impossible to free yourself without help.
- In stark contrast to movies or popular television shows, most quicksand deaths don't happen because you get sucked down, but from exposure or while being submerged and still in the incoming tide..
Part 3 of 3: Avoiding Quicksand
Step 1. Get to know the quicksand area in general
Quicksand is not a specific part of any particular soil type, it can form a soil mixture anywhere with sandy soil, creating a characteristic thick mixture. Learning to anticipate places that may and potentially have quicksand is the best way to avoid and become entangled in it. Quicksand most commonly occurs in:
- Flat mound
- Paya and swamp
- Beach near the lake
- Close to underground springs
Step 2. Watch for ripples
Watch for soil that looks unstable and wet, or sand that has an unnatural "ripple" texture. You should be able to see the water seeping from under the sand, making the quicksand quite visible if you pay close attention and you're climbing..
Step 3. Test the ground in front of you with a stick
Always carry a big, strong cane with you, either to use if you get stuck, or to feel the ground in front of you as you walk. While it's simple, taking a few seconds to do this (feeling/tapping the ground with a stick) can make a huge difference between your life-and-death struggle in quicksand and a safe hike away from it.
Tips
- Relax your head and keep it as straight as possible without straining it.
- If you are walking with other people in an area where you are likely to encounter quicksand, bring a rope of at least 6 m. That way, if one fell, the other could safely stand on the hard ground and pull him out. If the person outside is not strong enough to pull the victim out, a rope should be tied to a tree or other stationary object so the victim can pull himself out.
