Common sandcastle mistake risks ‘suffocation and death’ as scientists share beach blunder ‘deadlier than shark attacks’
BEACHGOERS may assume shark attacks pose the biggest threat to their lives, but they are sorely mistaken.
In fact, a falling sandcastle may be even deadlier than a Great White.
Deaths from collapsing sand have been reported as recently as February when a Florida girl suffocated inside a 5-foot-deep hole she had been digging.
Elected officials in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea banned people from digging deep holes on the beach following the tragedy.
And this manner of death is more common than you think. In fact, a 2007 analysis found that collapsing sand claimed more lives than shark attacks in the same period.
There were 16 sand hole or tunnel deaths in the United States from 1990 to 2006 compared to 12 fatal shark attacks, according to data from the University of Florida.
So how can you protect yourself?
For starters, it’s important to understand your building materials.
Sand is not a specific substance, but a category of material size, ranging from 0.06 to 2 millimeters in diameter.
Its weight depends on its composition. Pure quartz beaches, revered for their white sand, weigh around 90 pounds per cubic foot when dry.
Most beaches contain a brown or tan mixture of minerals. This kind of sand can weigh up to 130 pounds per cubic foot when dry.
Sand is more stable when wet, as the surface tension between water and the individual particles can suspend a pile vertically. Once it dries, this tension disappears, causing the pile to fall.
Pulling someone from a collapsed sand hole has proven challenging, as sand is both heavy and unstable.
Rescuers can attempt to shovel it away with their hands, but the edges of the hole will collapse under their weight and continue to refill it.
A person who is trapped in a sand hole will only have around five minutes before they suffocate to death.
To avoid an accident, never dig deeper than two feet, or – if you’re with a group of people – above knee height for the shortest person in your party.
If you’re on the other side of the rescue effort, preparedness can spell the difference between life and death.
To rescue someone in a caving sand hole, focus on exposing their mouth and moving sand off their chest. Once their mouth is free, you can administer rescue breathing.
Shark attacks in 2023
In 2023, there were 79 shark bites globally.
Of that number, 69 were unprovoked and 10 were provoked fatal bites.
The United States had 36 unprovoked attacks which accounted for 52% of the incidents worldwide.
Two of the attacks, one in California and the other in Hawaii, were fatal.
Consistently, Florida has had the most attacks in the country with 2023 being no different. The Sunshine State had 16 attacks last year.
Three of the 10 fatalities in 2023 happened in a remote surfing spot off the coast of southern Australia known as The Eyre Peninsula.
The area is home to seals, so they lure in great whites.
The other five fatal attacks were spread out across the globe with one in the Bahamas, Egypt, Mexico, and New Caledonia.
According to Florida Museum’s International Shark Attack File
It’s possible death by sand is more common than we think. The latest data in the U.S. was published nearly two decades ago.
That study focused on 52 instances of collapsing holes, more than half of which proved fatal.
The overwhelming majority of incidents occurred near the shoreline of public beaches, with holes ranging from 2 to 12 feet deep.
Those who survived did so “by virtue of timely rescue involving extrication from the sand,” with many requiring “cardiopulmonary resuscitation, performed by a bystander,” the researchers noted.