Can You Survive Quicksand? | I Didn't Know That

this quaint English village might look like the perfect place for cream teas and picnics on the beach but its harbors a deadly secret the whole area is covered with dangerous patches of quicksand when water floods into sand it forces the sand particles apart causing the ground to loosen what's left is a soggy combination of the two that can no longer support as much weight so when you stand on it you start to sink I want to find out if it's actually possible to get out of quicksand and to do that I'm gonna have to get in it but I'm not going anywhere around here without the help of the professionals I George how you doing pleased to meet you and you how long have you been a Coast Guard in the area 24 years right but you're a proper expert in quicksand you're armed yeah we run around here fur coats and rescue yeah you're the right man to be in charge of this demonstration yeah we'll look after you all right that's that's good to hear do I need any special kits or anything I don't think you do it like that you might frighten the fish I think we better go and get a shave gum to keep me dry and warm I put on a totally watertight dry suit normally worn by divers dry suit on and I was ready to go but as I walked out across the bay I started to Felix had nervous about my impending descent into the unknown all right George this looks like the right kind of stuff I just stumped just step into it then i'ma go in that wall okay yeah here we go I'm trusting you not just gonna disappear though no no sink like a stone you're not gonna disappear right appear to be sinking oh my goodness REE I was sinking fast and my weight was pushing the water away from the sand creating a vacuum around my legs and pulling me south okay I'm starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable about the whole situation now I could feel the pressure of the sand against me and as much as I tried I just couldn't move my legs get a stop going down on ya before I knew it I was in deep it had only taken 8 minutes for me to sink down to my waist while this signs around this specific area here saying you know danger quick Sam don't walk here well I work today tomorrow or this won't be quick sound it'll move right and it moved in by the tidal movement so what could I possibly do to get out of this situation if you weren't here George because I feel completely helpless well the first thing you're gonna do in the realist situation is shout and scream and go mad but yeah the book says sit down lie down and if you sit down or lie down all you're doing is making your footprint bigger for your weight so it does work in certain circumstances where you can lie back and just let the body flawed right George it doesn't seem to be doing anything no I quite away in philosophically it looks a fair thick mix of quicksand that got it feels really solid and there's nothing I can do like wiggling my legs or there's if you wiggle you just go further in I can really feel the pressure now I mean that feels like yeah really solid he does get to the stairs where eats up the blood for so you don't want to be in there till long well I'm stuck fast and there's no way I'm getting out my own to be honestly I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable about the whole situation so if you wouldn't mind getting me out George that have been marvelous although the Coast Guard team was here with me I was scared stiff to pull one leg free from this stuff requires the amount of force needed to lift a small car so I had no idea how they were gonna get me out they started to plug the sand around my legs with water whilst frantically digging away with their hands I felt like I was stuck in concrete yeah after frantically working for 10 minutes they finally freed one leg but my other was still wedged hard and I was starting to get tired such intense pressure on your legs can cause deep vein thrombosis I'm only submerged to my hips if you're unlucky enough to go down as far as your neck then there's a good chance that the pressure on your chest could prevent you from breathing properly and believe me whilst all this is happening the last thing you need is to be short of breath all right ah our cheers voice I thought that is the most horrendous thing I've ever done in my life so will you die if you get stuck in quicksand if Tarzan isn't about and the Coast Guard's nowhere in sight then I don't really fancy your chances so tread carefully

Channel: National Geographic

Views: 30,551,695

Rating: 4.7476101 out of 5

Keywords: National Geographic, I Didn't Know That, jonny phillips, richard ambrose, science, cool, quicksand, sand, sink, sinking, tide, slow, survive, escape, video, nature, experiment, study, national geographic, nat geo, natgeo, animals, wildlife, explore, discover, survival, documentary

Id: a2VJqud3Ls8

Length: 5min 9sec (309 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 19 2013

Reddit Comments

[u/WonderfulUnicorn]

It's pretty easy to get out of quicksand assuming you don't stand there for fucking 10 minutes like a dodo.

[u/JustFucking_LOVES_IT]

I was told this wasn't supposed to be such a problem.

[u/jumpbreak5]

At 3:04, I swear that guy just says complete nonsense for 6 seconds

[u/9966]

Getting out is easy if you don't stand vertically in quick sand for 10 minutes.

You can always go prone and swim/crawn out, the maximum you'll sink is half way. Don't make that half your legs. Also don't reach in and pull your legs out with your arms, and then your arms out with your face.

[u/crazypnut]

Relevant

[u/acasey07]

Fun fact: It's not called quicksand due to the fact that it does anything quickly. The geotechnical soil process which allows for this to happen is know as the "quick condition". In the "quick" state, the water (pore) pressure in the soil is greater than the pressure of the soils own weight, effectively forcing the individual soil particles to become lubricated or pushed apart, not allowing the soil to support much or any stress.

Double Fun Fact: The term quick comes from the definition of quick meaning 'active' or 'full of life'. Which is hilarious because if you were to ever die of quicksand it would be because of exposure and dehydration

[u/IwillNoComply]

8 minutes ain't quick. that's slightly quicker than average sand.

[u/[deleted]]

why do they need helmets?

[u/[deleted]]

"that is the most horrendous thing I have ever done in my life" guys had a pretty easy life,