Imagine this: you’re enjoying a peaceful day at the beach, the sun is shining, and everything seems perfect. But then, out of nowhere, the ground beneath you gives way, and you’re suddenly up to your hips in sand! Sounds like a scene straight out of a movie, right? Well, this is exactly what happened to Jamie Acord at Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg, Maine.
Jamie was soaking up the sun and collecting trash when she found herself sinking into the sand. Her husband, Patrick Acord, was right beside her when she dropped about 2.5 feet into what turned out to be quicksand. Yes, you heard that right—quicksand! It’s not just a Hollywood myth; it can happen in real life, as the Acords discovered.
Patrick recounted the experience to Fox News Digital, explaining how Jamie suddenly fell in and couldn’t get her legs free. He quickly sprang into action, pulling her out within seconds. Jamie, with her hands full of trash, screamed, “I can’t get out!” It was a heart-pounding moment, but thanks to Patrick’s swift response, she was safe.
“My wife fell in almost instantly,” he told Fox News Digital via email. “It only took a few seconds to pull her out after she realized she couldn’t get her legs free herself.”
Jamie Acord was walking at the water’s edge at Popham Beach State Park over the weekend when she sunk to her hips in a split second, letting out a stunned scream. She told her husband, “I can’t get out!”https://t.co/MMLDEYMEj7 pic.twitter.com/Sj0pmAe3eL
— WSPA 7NEWS (@WSPA7) June 11, 2024
Now, you might be wondering, what exactly is quicksand? According to Live Science, quicksand is a mixture of fine sand, clay, and salt water. It has a density of about 2 grams per milliliter, while humans have a density of about 1 gram per milliliter. This means that while you might sink up to your waist, you wouldn’t go any further. Jim Britt from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry explained that people caught in supersaturated sand remain buoyant, allowing them to float and wriggle to safety.
After the incident, Patrick and Jamie spoke to a park ranger who mentioned that although there had been similar complaints, none had been as severe. Most cases occurred near the mouth of the river, where supersaturated sand is more common.
“He said they had received a handful of similar complaints but none where someone sunk this deep, and usually they were in an area where supersaturated sand is more common – such as near the mouth of the river that flows out next to the beach,” Patrick Acord told Fox News Digital.
Thankfully, Jamie only suffered a few small scratches, but the incident has prompted officials to issue safety tips for beachgoers. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry advises visitors to stay calm, ditch extra weight, lean back to distribute weight evenly, move slowly, and crawl to safety if needed.
So, next time you’re at Popham Beach—or anywhere for that matter—keep these tips in mind.
