Beach Sand Holes: The Deadly Risks and How To Avoid Them
Beach Sand Holes: The Deadly Risks and How To Avoid Them
Learn the dangers of digging holes, how to rescue someone trapped in a sand hole and what beach activities are safer for kids
Sloan Mattingly was seven and would never make it to eight because her parents did not know that playing in sand holes was dangerous. I'm sharing this heartbreaking story and advice from beach safety experts in the hope that the information here will prevent a similar tragedy.
Sloan had been digging a deep hole on a beach in Florida with her nine-year-old brother Maddox when the hole suddenly collapsed and buried the children. Sloan's distraught parents, who had been sitting close by, worked frantically with the help of other beachgoers to rescue the pair, but as fast as they dug, the hole filled with sand.
They managed to rescue Maddox, but it was 15 minutes before they reached Sloan and pulled her out. She was rushed to hospital but tragically pronounced dead on arrival.
In an ABC News interview, Sloan's distraught parents described the horrific day. They urged people to spread the word about the dangers of sand holes and speak up if they see something dangerous on the beach. Most people do not realize how deadly sand holes can be.
"It didn't matter that we were literally right there. It was just a hole, and there was nothing, and then it just became chaos and horror." - Therese Mattingly, Sloan's mother.
If you're heading to the beach, avoid digging holes. Experts warn that sand holes on the beach are a death trap for kids, adults and animals.
Why are sand holes dangerous?
Sand holes often collapse when people dig, tunnel, jump or fall into the hole. Being buried in sand is particularly dangerous as a person may quickly suffocate, and the nature of sand makes extricating the person challenging.
Wet sand may seem reasonably strong. Water holds the sand grains together, allowing people to make sand castles or dig holes. But the sturdiness of a wall of sand, whether above or below ground, is deceptive. Although individual sand grains are solid, a mass of sand can behave more like a liquid.
This characteristic makes sand more prone to cave-ins, and its ability to stick together as a solid mass is dangerous for anyone caught beneath it. It only takes the slightest pressure for a sand hole to cave in, and walking near a hole is enough to cause collapse.
Sand holes are also a tripping hazard, and you can sprain a knee or ankle in a hole, even a few inches deep, while walking, running, or playing on the beach. While on vacation with my family, I played frisbee with my dad one afternoon on a sandy beach. He tripped in a hole and injured his ankle. He was in pain during the vacation, and this injury bothered him for the rest of his life.
Sand holes can also pose a risk to animals. In areas with turtles, for example, turtles can fall into them, trapping mothers and their hatchlings.
Where are sand holes found?
Sand holes are most commonly found on the beach close to the shoreline. However, people have died after being buried in dunes, sand piles on construction sites and even sandboxes. Dry sand is particularly prone to collapse.
An article from the Mayo Clinic describes a construction site incident where a boy died and two were injured after a 30-foot sandpile collapsed as they ran down the embankment, burying all three in the sand. In another incident, a boy died after the tunnel he’d created in a sandbox collapsed and buried him. In both tragedies, the children were unsupervised, and burial was sudden and complete.
Sand is heavy and dense
People get buried in avalanches on ski hills, but unlike snow, sand is heavy and dense. No air pockets exist, and sand will find its way into the smallest space. Once trapped in a sand hole, the person inhales fine sand particles. These lodge in their lungs, making it progressively harder for them to breathe.
According to Aqua-Calc, one cubic foot of wet sand weighs 127 lbs. That's like having about 30 bricks weighing you down. Even dry sand can weigh up to 110 lbs per cubic foot.
Once buried, sand compacts around you, flows into any spaces, and completely encases you. Because the grains are so fine, they form a solid mass with no give, and a buried person's chest cannot expand to take a breath. If the person can breathe, they will breathe in sand.
"Parents actually may be digging their own kid a grave and don't even realize it."
- Captain Butch Arbin, Ocean City Beach Patrol, Maryland.
Sand suffocates
If someone inhales sand, it can travel deep into the lungs, blocking off the alveoli, where oxygen passes into the blood. The more sand packs in, the more it prevents air from getting to those alveoli, effectively suffocating the person. Even if medics can resuscitate a person, they'll need specialized medical treatment to remove the sand from their lungs.
Watching kids dig holes won't keep them safe
Sand collapse can happen in an instant and without warning. Sloan Mattingly's parents were sitting right next to the hole she was playing in when it suddenly collapsed, and they could not save their daughter. There are other equally tragic stories. Parents are mistaken if they think watching kids dig holes will keep them safe.
What is a safe size for a sand hole?
A New England Journal of Medicine study found that some deaths happened in as little as two feet of sand. First responders and beach experts say a good rule of thumb is to ensure a hole is no deeper than the knees of the shortest person digging it.
How to rescue someone buried in a sand hole
For rescuers, getting someone out of a hole is not as simple as digging. In an interview with the Ocean City Beach Patrol, Lieutenant Skip Lee said most people would instinctively try to dig straight down. However, doing this causes the sand to flow back into the hole, leading to further collapse. He advised digging at a 45-degree angle and pulling the sand backwards.
Lee says his lifeguards are trained to form two concentric circles around the collapsed hole. Everyone in the smaller circle moves sand back with their hands toward the circle behind them, and those in the larger circle do the same. The idea is to widen the area slowly.
To avoid injuring the trapped person, people should move the sand with their hands, not shovels or tractors. Experts also recommend keeping onlookers away from the area, as the vibration and disturbance will make the area more unstable.
What to do with holes before you leave the beach
Unfilled holes pose a safety hazard to others walking or playing on the beach. If you dig a hole, fill it in before you leave the area. If you see a big sand hole, report it to local authorities immediately.
Alternatives to digging sand holes
Instead of digging holes, encourage children to build sand castles or make designs in the sand. There are many other beach games and activities, including flying kites, playing frisbee, bocce, badminton, volleyball and more.
Warn kids about deadly social media challenges
While researching this article, I found a Subreddit on the social media platform Reddit called r/WinStupidPrizes. This group, Play Stupid Games Win Stupid Prizes, has 2.5 million members and shows gifs and videos of reckless people playing risky games and winning prizes.
One of the group's challenges is to 'Bury yourself in the sand near the water.' They show videos of people buried in the sand as the waves cover their heads and friends trying to rescue them. Children and teens may not have the common sense or experience to understand how incredibly risky this is.
Raising awareness to prevent deaths
Sharing articles like this is one way to make people aware of the dangers of sand holes. You can also do your part by filling in sand holes you see on the beach and talking to people if you see them digging or playing in sand holes. If someone seems irritated when you mention sand holes are dangerous, encourage them to google sand hole dangers or watch YouTube news stories about sand hole deaths.
Takeaways
Ensure holes dug in the sand are no deeper than the knees of the smallest person in your group.
If you see kids digging holes deeper than two feet, stop them immediately and explain the dangers.
Never dig near dunes or on sand piles on construction sites, as they can easily collapse.
Instead of creating sand holes, help children find other ways to entertain themselves on the beach.
Warn youth about the risks of accepting dares or attempting dangerous social media challenges.
Don’t be hard on yourself if you’ve played in sand holes on the beach with your kids, like me and many other parents. Most people are not aware of the dangers. Now we have more information, we can help prevent others from suffering the tragedy of Sloan Mattingly and her family.
Sources:
New England Journal of Medicine: Sudden Death From Collapsing Sand Holes
ABC News: Parents break their silence after losing daughter in tragic Florida beach sand hole collapse
Slate.com: When Sand Kills
Mayo Clinic: Accidental burials in sand: a potentially fatal summertime hazard