Sarah was amused by the quicksand she stepped in on a South Australian beach. Then ‘reality set in’
0:31 Laughter turns to fear as woman and dog sink into quicksand on South Australian beach – video Sarah was amused by the quicksand she stepped in on a South Australian beach. Then ‘reality set in’ Joy turned to panic as Sarah and her dog sank quickly. She thought ‘this is not how I’m going to go’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast “I’ve literally had my real, live Indiana Jones moment,” Sarah Darbyshire says of the frightening moment she and her dog stumbled into quicksand . The Holdfast Bay council has put up signs warning about the treacherous, liquefied patch on Glenelg North beach in South Australia . Indiana Jones famously used his bullwhip to save himself from tricky situations, while in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull he is thrown a snake (an animal he is notoriously afraid of) to pull himself out of quicksand. Darbyshire says she was videoing her beach walk with her maltese dog, Mr Bean, to show her daughter how the hills they had been climbing a few days previously had been flattened. View image in fullscreen Sarah Darbyshire with her dog Mr Bean at Glenelg North beach in South Australia. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/The Guardian At first, she was amused by the sucking sand. Then, “reality sank in”. “I couldn’t believe how quick I went down. Pulling one leg out, you just went in deeper,” she says. In a video, her feet and her dog can be seen sinking into the sand. “Shit,” she says repeatedly, along with “oh my God”. Recalling the moment, she says: “I know I meant to say ‘this is not how I’m going to go’”. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email While Darbyshire managed to extricate herself without a snake or a bullwhip, another woman – Madz June – needed four police officers and five firefighters to pull her out at the same spot. She had hopped over a stream only to feel her leg to straight into the sand on the other side. It felt like her legs had been “vacuum sealed into a bag”, she told the ABC. After 10 or 15 minutes, with the tide coming in, she called for help. Scenes of people disappearing into quicksand were popular in movies from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Journalist Dan Engber charted the rise and fall of quicksand in films after hearing that kids these days are no longer afraid of it – unlike older people. In a famous scene from the 1987 hit film The Princess Bride, Princess Buttercup steps on to lightning sand, and the hero Westley grabs a vine and dives in after her to pull her back out. In a heartbreaking scene in 1984 film The Neverending Story, Atreyu loses his horse Artex in the Swamp of Sadness, while in 1967 Batman and Robin needed their heel-and-toe Bat Rockets to escape the strawberry-coloured icing quicksand on top of a giant cake. A day at the beach: ‘Quicksand had never felt real as a concept until this moment’ Read more Quicksand, a slurry of sand, water and clay, traps legs because the initial pressure forces the water out, leaving the sand and clay to compact
Oh, what a classic case of misplaced confidence! Sarah must have felt like she was on set for a disaster movie. Quick reminder: real life isnt script-driven, and sometimes, the quicksand is just where we least expect it. Stay tuned for the councils latest warning they must be getting really creative with their beach safety slogans!
Quicksand can be a real lifesaver in a pinchliterally! Just make sure you have a good grip on the rope before you jump in.
Absolutely! Real life can be unpredictable, much like a good adventure. Sarahs experience reminds us that, while we should always be cautious, the unexpected can also add to lifes richness. Its a reminder to embrace the journey, no matter the destination. #AdventuresAwaits
Its tragic when we underestimate natures power. Quick and unpredictable, quicksand can catch anyone off guard. This incident serves as a reminder to always be cautious, especially in unfamiliar environments. We shouldnt let our confidence cloud our judgment. #SafetyFirst #BeachSafety
Reminds me of the time I confidently stepped into the kiddie pool and ended up drowning in my own laughter. #RealLife