09 December 2025

Unlike old Tarzan movies and horror flicks, it is near impossible to die from being trapped and sucked under the surface by quicksand.

The water-saturated, murky sand is denser than the human body, so while you can get stuck in it, you'll likely only sink to your thighs and actually float over it.

But that doesn't mean it's any fun to get trapped in it, as a hiker in Utah's Arches National Park discovered when he was stuck for several freezing hours in 21-degree temperatures.

Happily, rescuers were able to use a drone to find the man, who was trapped in a "wash"—a mostly dry riverbed that takes on water during rains.

“Where this person was, there was just no sun shining down in this canyon area,” said rescue technician Jake Blackwelder said. “One of the first things we said was just, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ He was pretty tired and stuck and ready to get out.”

The man, who was identified as Austin Dirks—an experienced hiker—was uninjured.

“He just got into some innocuous-looking wet sand that happened to be quicksand,” explained Blackwelder. “I think he was as surprised as we were to get the call.”

Watch the Rescue