How to get out of quicksand – man's five second hack could save your life

Avid adventurer Coltyy has purposefully got himself stuck in quicksand to demonstrate how to break free in a matter of seconds with a life-saving hack.

Hand sinking in quicksand

Get out of a life-threatening situation with this simple hack (Image: Getty)

An adventure addict revealed the quickest way to get out of quicksand - without making things worse.

We've all seen those dramatic action films from the 90s where characters get sucked into the ground in a matter of seconds, suffocating in an unexpected patch of quicksand.

The natural phenomenon occurs when sand becomes so saturated with water it starts to behave like a liquid. As quicksand is denser than the human body, we can quickly find ourselves stuck (but no, we won't just continue sinking like in the films).

"It's not the quicksand people need to be worried about it's actually the tide," YouTuber Coltyy states."Some people have gotten stuck and when the tide comes back in, it rises above their head and eventually they drown."

If you're ever caught in this rare situation, there is a handy hack that will help you break free in no time.

The explorer recommends lying on your back to break free. "I just stay like this," he explained, leaning back with his arms wide open above the sand. "I should be able to bring my legs up."

Colty, who amassed a whopping 4.8 million subcribers, then starts trying to bring his leg above the surface, instructing viewers to make 'as much surface area as possible'.

"Eventually, your legs should float to the surface, and you should be able to pull them out," he added - leaning his back further into the sand until his legs break into the air.

According to reports, physicists have calculated that the force required to extract your foot from quicksand at a rate of one centimetre per second is roughly equal to the force needed to lift a medium-sized car. But, slow and gentle movements will help allow water into the cavity around the trapped limbs, allowing you to gradually break free.

Thousands of viewers flocked to the comments section to praise the advice, with one person writing: "After 21 years of living I've finally see someone give real easy to remember advice on how to get out of such a situation."

Another agreed, commenting: "Dude beat Australian quicksand. Think I'll take his advice," while a third added: "Dude is a mad lad for putting himself in quicksand to show people how to get out, mad props man."

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