Stick to sand castles, beach-goers

bulldog — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:09:00 GMT

He who builds his house upon the sand – or digs under it – will find himself in a whole lot of trouble.

A Newport Beach, Calif. teenager's trip to the beach has made national headlines after he spent about 40 minutes buried in sand in a collapsed hold. He was rescued uninjured.

The 17-year-old and his friends were digging a tunnel in the sand when the walls of the tunnel collapsed, leaving him buried 5 to 7 feet below the surface. The young man said he was terrified, and was unsure if anyone would be able to hear him screaming for help.

He did, however manage to move his head around and create some space so that he could breathe, despite the fact that his arms were pinned behind him.

Around 40 people, including firefighters and beach-goers, as well as three search and rescue teams, dug furiously to get the kid out. He was checked out at a hospital and released.

So here's a reminder: When you go to the beach, remember that the benign sand that squishes between your toes could literally kill you. Remember those horror movies where the person was buried in sand up to his neck in low tide? There's no way you can dig yourself out of heavy, wet sand. Therein lies the terror.

Stick to building sandcastles on top of the beach. There's no need to dig down deeper. If you must know what's down there, here's a clue: Sand.

Love and Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, String's Supersymmetry Theory, the Sound of Ocean Waves, Sand, the Beach, a Friend's Love, Anatole France, Artificial Intelligence and Fresh Baked Bread

cartoon — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:22:00 GMT

Phoenix Sky

mike — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:38:00 GMT

Brush Stroke Sky

mike — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:36:00 GMT

Ripples in the Sand

mike — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:32:00 GMT

This is what happens after the tide goes out

Mexico Coast

mike — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:27:00 GMT

This was taken near Cozumel Mexico

Pale Sky

mike — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:25:00 GMT

A Florida beach on a cloudy day.