By keeping yourself calm and avoiding panic, you give yourself more time to find a way out. When you free your legs from the quicksand, start to crawl backward with your arms until you get to firm ground. Well, unlike with other sands, the water in quicksand cannot escape and can no longer support the weight, so quicksand is formed. So quicksand is generally located near riverbanks, marshes, and beaches. There are bodies under the giant heads of Easter Island, ‘Britain’s Atlantis’ found at bottom of the North sea, Bannock bread – the best campfire bread ever created, Why does the American West have enormous concrete arrows across it, Survival skills of Native Americans that we can still use today, The hundred year old ‘ghost ship’ discovered in the Ohio River by Kayaker, Drive the most haunted roads in the world, The dangerous waters of Jacob’s Well in Texas, Mysterious new landforms appearing in Siberia. If water is bubbling up from below the ground, you may have stumbled upon some quicksand. Our legs are pretty dense, so they may sink, but the torso contains the lungs, and thus is buoyant enough to stay out of trouble. Trying to move too fast. Learn what to do—and what not to do—to get out of quicksand. The water turns the “sand” into a thick liquid mud that collapses under moving weight. Keep your arm movements controlled, small, and close to your core to avoid further liquefying the quicksand. Wet quicksand occurs when water wells up underneath sand and clay. Unlike typical mud, quicksand can appear solid upon first glance. Otherwise, you will only make the situation worse, and you might sink even faster. After that, slowly start to lift your legs. Keep your arm movements controlled, small, and close to your core to avoid further liquefying the quicksand. Outdoor Revival – Reconnecting us all with the Outdoors. All rights reserved | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact, Get the UK Survival Guides Newsletter For Free. If you can’t avoid it, you have to escape it. Whenever heading out, it is always a good idea to keep trekking poles or even a couple of sticks with you so that you can tap and test the ground in front of you before taking the step. This increases the danger of getting your head stuck below quicksand. Quicksand is denser than the human body. You can get stuck in it of course, but you aren’t going to be getting sucked under. Back float your way out, don’t back stroke your way out. While we hope you steer clear of quicksand in your travels, we’ve got you covered with bags for plenty of other adventures. National Geographic Guide Series Utility Backpack 40L, How to Prepare for a Medical Emergency When Abroad, Gadgets and Gear to Keep You Safe on Your Next Trip, By Caila Ball-Dionne on February 22, 2019. If you have any comments then please drop us a message on our Outdoor Revival Facebook page. Now place some kind of small … Its few victims don’t get sucked in over their heads, but people trapped for long periods can die of exposure, thirst or drown in incoming tides. Your best bet for surviving quicksand is to avoid it altogether. It's starting to look pretty scary, but let's keep watching. If you somehow manage to end up in quicksand, the first and most important thing to do is not to panic. Keeping your wits about you will make the escape process easier. This quicksand then re-solidifies, trapping whatever may have sunk into its depths. If you have a good story to tell or blog let us know about it on our FB page, we’re also happy for article or review submissions, we’d love to hear from you. Inch by inch, move your legs one at a time upward toward the surface of the quicksand. The water is forced upward into the sand, and due to the flowing water underneath it cannot escape. It’s a normal phenomenon, and as we mentioned in the beginning, it’s rarely as scary and deep as the movies like to depict it as. This quicksand then re-solidifies, trapping whatever may have sunk into its depths. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. in order for quicksand to form, it needs to have water present. With every inch you move a leg up, allow a moment for the quicksand to fill the space it once occupied. Via Nguyen Thuy Linh. Never panic, people are not dense enough to sink all the way under quicksand. Though it's not quite as deadly as it appears in movies, quicksand can still throw an unsuspecting hiker for a loop. Anyway, it’s important that you know how to escape it if you do get stuck in some. this stopping around creates these types of waves in the sand. We live in a beautiful world, get out there and enjoy it. It will give you the right balance when attempting to escape from the quicksand. This reminds me of a Waterbed and if you don't know … Try to take a few steps backwards to where the ground was solid. Much like sitting, this evenly distributes your weight, and allows your feet to float up to the surface. What is Quicksand and is it Really Deadly? Learn what to do—and what not to do—to get out of quicksand. How NOT to Escape Quicksand. The heavier you are, the faster you will sink into the quicksand. The weak die out and the strong will survive, and will live on forever. Head Above Water: Keep your arms and head above the surface at all times. Don’t allow your arms to go under the sand.