A quick-thinking dog owner has described the moment she got caught in quicksand while trying to rescue her toy poodle at a beach in southern Tasmania as akin to the infamous swamp scene in the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story.
Elise* said she was at Kingston Beach, a popular suburban beach south of Hobart, when she noticed something was wrong.
She saw her dog was getting into deeper water but wasn't swimming — despite knowing how to.
"She just started sinking down so only her face was out of the water, but she wasn't fighting it," Elise said.
"It was like a scene involving the horse in the movie The NeverEnding Story."
When Elise rushed over to help her dog, she sunk into the sand up to her knees, which caused her to fall over.
Fortunately, she eventually managed to get herself and her dog out of the water without any injury at Browns River, at the northern end of Kingston beach.
"It happened in a matter of seconds but I was able to grab her before she went under the water," she said.
"There wasn't any suction stopping me from getting out but it felt like there was nothing stable for me to stand on".
Man pulls child from sand
Jennifer Jenkins was walking at the same beach about a week ago when her husband turned to her and asked: "Is that little girl OK?"
They noticed a girl who had been playing with her bodyboard in water was caught in what looked like a whirlpool at the mouth of Browns River, at Kinsgton Beach.
"A man went in to get her in knee-height water and all of a sudden he sunk into the sand to his waist," Ms Jenkins said.
"He managed to pull himself and the child out safely but you could tell he wasn't expecting it".
What is quicksand?
If you grew up watching Gilligan's Island, Land of the Giants or a Tarzan movie then your idea of what quicksand is might differ from reality.
"Quicksand is a mixture of loose sand and silt that can no longer support the weight of objects and can trap people when they step on it," said Professor Nasser Khalili, from the University of NSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
"Quicksand has liquid-like consistency and because of that it has limited capacity to support weight, at first."
Despite what films or television shows may lead you to believe, it is highly unlikely anyone will die in quicksand, Professor Khalili said.
"When a person stands in quicksand they tend to sink up to their waistline, but won't sink any further than that.
"It is the same for adults and children."
If you ever find yourself in quicksand, Professor Khalili advises to remain calm.
"Lean back just to spread your weight on the top of the sand and gradually wiggle your legs to the top of the surface and you will eventually float to the top."
Warning to swimmers
Kingborough mayor Paula Wriedt said she was pleased recent incidents "had a happy ending".
"Obviously, that is concerning to us … we want to remind people that there can be changing tidal levels in this area or objects that could be hazardous such as logs or rocks," Ms Wriedt said.
"We don't want to see animals or children or anybody harmed in that area."
Along with the quicksand hazard at the beach's northern end, council has issued a warning for swimmers to avoid the area due to poor water quality.
The council website states that swimming in the River Derwent is not recommended for two days after heavy rain (more than 10mm of rain over a 24-hour period) and never in the vicinity of stormwater pipes or urban rivulets.
"People should be swimming in other parts of Kingston Beach where the water quality is better but, most importantly, in an area where surf lifesavers are on patrol," Ms Wriedt said.
* Name has been changed.
