Quicksand causes terrifying ‘Indiana Jones moment’ for second Adelaide beachgoer

Days after a young Adelaide beachgoer had to be rescued from quicksand, a second person had a similar experience along the same stretch of coast. Sarah Darbyshire was walking at Glenelg North on Saturday afternoon when her dog began to sink into the sand, and she started to do the same. What's next? The Department for Environment and Water says sand carting occurs at the beach every year to protect local infrastructure. A second beachgoer has spoken out after becoming caught in quicksand along a stretch of Adelaide coast, saying she was momentarily overcome by "complete fear" before pushing herself out. Sarah Darbyshire was walking at Glenelg North on Saturday afternoon when she noticed her dog had started to sink into the surface. She quickly picked him up and moved him to another spot "where he then really sunk so I pulled him up, threw him and as I was doing that, I realised that I was going down". "It was soon up to my waist and I just really pushed myself," she said. "I remember thinking, 'No, this is not how it's going to end', and I pushed myself out. The 20-year-old tried to get herself out but had to call emergency services for help. Ms Darbyshire said she suspected the sinking sand had been caused by earthworks at the beach. The Department for Environment and Water confirmed sand carting had recently been conducted there. "Public safety signage was erected at every beach access pathway from Glenelg North to West Beach Boat Ramp before the work was carried out in the week of 27 April," a spokesperson said. "That signage remains in place and the public is urged to take care during this stormy period." Ms Darbyshire, who is a photographer, had been filming the beach on Saturday to show her daughter the impact of the sand carting, and inadvertently captured on camera the events that followed. "I just put my phone in my pocket, did not know it was still recording — and it was literally seconds," she said. "How many people can say they've had a real Indiana Jones moment?" While she can laugh about the experience now, she said she shared the video on Facebook as a warning to others. "It was only when I got back to the car I realised I recorded … and I watched it and I thought, 'Wow, some people need to know', because it took everything in me to get me out, and if it was anyone else, with less strength, then it would be a whole different story," she said. "If it was a little child — and easily you could turn your back for a couple of seconds…" The department spokesperson said sand carting was a practice that occurred at the beach "every year". "Natural beach sand is collected from where it accumulates at West Beach Harbour and placed at Glenelg North to raise beach levels," the spokesperson said. "This annual work is vital to protect important coastal infrastructure, including the rock wall, roads and footpaths … and properties from winter storms, such as those forecast for this week."