Quicksand is a porous mixture predominantly of sand and water though sometimes clay and silt also plays a role. Because it is heavily porous, if someone steps in, he/she would be in a danger of sinking. Quicksand is a dangerous spot which you would like to avoid. Once you are inside and the sinking process started, vacuum is produced around your legs and the sand, as if, grips the leg so tight that you find it difficult to pull it out. People start panicking right at this stage and try to escape applying force. This makes the scenario trickier because flogging or freaking out does only one thing, it squeezes surrounding sand and air away from your legs and you start sinking at a faster rate.
The rule of the game is very simple: JUST STAY CALM. It makes the sinking process either stagnant or very slow.
Once you arrest the rate of sinking, the next question comes about getting out of the quicksand.
First of all, stay calm. Don’t whip the sand. You can of course shout out loud for help.
Secondly, you should try to get rid of any heavy stuff that you’re wearing. It may be a bag or may be a heavy pullover or something like that. Getting rid of any extra weight will further slowdown the sinking rate. Be very careful not to agitate the sand while getting rid of the heavy stuff. Once you are in, you will not believe it easily but, if you stand still and stay calm you will not sink too far! It is our survival instinct and desperate try to get out that makes the situation deadly.
But, at the same time, you cannot get out by standing still. You need to know some survival manoeuvres to get yourself out of the situation. You need to lean back and rest your upper body on the surface of the sand. This makes your weight distributed rather than concentrating on the leg. Fortunately, density of the quicksand is much more than water and this will help you to float easily on the top. With the releasing of pressure on your leg, you should be able to slowly bring out your leg on the surface. Again, slow and steady wins the race. You need to carry out all the moves in slow motion. Pulling hard may cause greater friction and more sinkage.
