As children, quicksand really seemed like it would be more of a problem in our adult lives, but it turns out it’s not as big of a threat as all those movies made us believe. Although for one woman, that threat became a reality as she found herself sinking while going for a walk.
Jamie Acord was going for a walk with her husband on a beach in Maine earlier in June when she unknowingly walked over a hazardous patch of sand and ‘dropped like a rock.’ She instantly sank up to her waist but luckily for Acord, her husband was there and was able to pull her out quickly. She spoke about her terrifying ordeal with PEOPLE.
“And as soon as he pulled me out, we turned around to look to see what had occurred because we just assumed I’d fallen in an actual hole and there was nothing there, […] It looked just like the beach. It had filled itself right back in.”
Upon beng pulled out, Acord says that her clothes were covered in ‘wet cement-like sand.’ Later that day she decided to post about it on social media to warn others, while she was lucky, someone who is walking the beach on their own might end up getting stuck. It seems her warning was worth it as there are signs expected to go up on the stretch of beach warning people of the potential dangers according to NBC affiliate, WCSH.
Is quicksand common in America?
it’s the kind of thing you’d expect to come across deep in some sort of desert, or in the jungle surrounding some cursed temple like in Indiana Jones. It’s really not something you’d encounter on a regular walk on a beach in Maine. However, this type of sand is actually a lot more common than you’d think! According to an article from Newsweek they can be found all over, but particularly near rivers or estuaries.Â
Speaking to the AP, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Jim Britt explained that climate change had likely led to winter storms redirecting river water to sand areas which explains the presence of the sand where the Acords were walking.
So maybe we were right when we were younger, it seems quicksand is actually something that poses a risk to us as it can literally form anywhere. However, if you’re worried about sinking down to a sandy grave, fear not, as it turns out that once again, Hollywood was lying to us. Quicksand is not nearly as deadly as the movies would have us believe. According to Britt, humans will only ever sink up to their waist as we would actually be buoyant in the supersaturated sand, so if you ever do get stuck, remain calm and try to slowly crawl to safety.
