While rare, there have been documented cases of people dying from being stuck in quicksand. However, just because you can’t drown in it doesn’t mean it can’t be fatal. The less weight on you, the slower you’ll sink and the easier it will be to get out. If you’re in too deep, like knee-deep, and taking a step back is too difficult and isn’t an option anymore, ditch the backpack and whatever loose articles you might have on you and throw them to the side. Be careful when getting help! While it may sound easier if another person is helping you to get yourself out of quicksand, be careful- the other person can get pulled in and find themselves stuck like you. In the process, you may have to ditch your shoes, but it’s better to lose them than sink any deeper. Do not take big steps forward-while you may be able to get one of your feet free, lunging steps will use up too much energy and sink your other foot deeper into the hole and take you farther away from solid ground. If you still can, take a couple steps back to solid ground.

So the first step is to keep calm, resist the urge to flail around, and act fast. Sudden big movements will also disturb the soil underneath you more and get you stuck even deeper. While it can be frightening, panicking will only unnecessarily drain you and put you in a much worse situation. Usually found near bodies of water, sinking in quicksand often takes just a couple of seconds and getting out of one by yourself can be difficult without help. Quicksand is loose soil saturated with water. But don’t worry, here are a couple of steps that you can take so you can try to extract yourself from one. While it isn’t usually as dangerous as you may think, being in one can still be panic-inducing.

Quicksand can usually be found near bodies of water like rivers and lakes, and some of them can even “move around” depending on different conditions. Quicksand is loose, fine soil that’s saturated with water and may appear solid until it’s abruptly disturbed by changes in the environment and it liquefies. Are you getting that sinking feeling? It may not be just anxiety, you might have stepped on quicksand.

Man gets stuck in quicksand