How deep can i go? (in nothing but mud)

[bart1997]

...

[MuddyEddie]

A lot of it has to do with your body composition. I have enough "natural flotation material" that I can float in water without even trying! I amazed one of my friends last year when I told him I could jump into his pool and float back up without even swimming! And when I was vacuuming the bottom of my pool last week I had 20#/9kg of weight on, and still had a tendency to float back to the surface!

So I naturally have a problem sinking much past my abdomen in mud. I can struggle and fight and usually get in just past the tops of my shoulders, but that's usually as far as I can go. Once, I filled a backpack with rocks (about 40#/18kg) and just barely got my chin under the mud!

So, for me, I'm not sure it it'll ever be possible to sink completely under without a lot of struggling! Unless, of course, I'm able to rid myself of the "natural floatation material"!

[Fred588]

Yes, there IS a secret but probably not very useful when you depend on natural locations.

I have found, through extensive testing and by work with numerous video models, that there are two considerations. One is the density (weight) of the mud, as you have described and the other is the viscosity (thickness or resistance to flow). If you try to sink in mud that is too watery then the effects of buoyancy are dominant. Since the mud is considerably denser than water or the human body (fat or lean) it causes you to float quite high because the mud flows easily. On the other hand, if the same mud is thicker, while it is probably even more dense (since there is more solid material than water) then it does not flow so easily and you can make yourself sink MUCH more easily. In a vertical positioon you can go under by lifting the mud with your hands. If you can dig your feet into even thicker mud down deep you can even submerge with one or both hands in the air. You can akso submerge by laying back, although this can be dangerous (possiby very dangerous) if the mud is very thick. I try to favor the method of digging in the feet and squatting when filming.

[bart1997]

-

[Fred588]

I think this is a question of balance and of personal preference.

Thanks for your answers.
Regarding that "natural floatation": This is right, in fact when i did start these extensive tours and serious sinkings 1.5 years ago my point of buoyancy was about a feet lower than now. So this getting in shape does really help, no wonder all of these models sink out of sight
Regarding the consistency: We had nothing but sunshine the last couple of weeks, so this will actually help? Or the other way round, when lots of rain will further soften that area the "sinking conditions" will be less good?

[PM2K]

I have a pretty good spot which has taken me nearly a decade to beat into shape..

In my case, I can't swim, so I'm not comfortable in deep water, although deep mud is different... My muddy pit is quite thick on top.... about two feet of mud... and loose on the bottom, and about armpit deep. It makes it possible to sink slow at first, drop down to waist deep, then slowly twist about as the mire sucks me down to my doom... just by bending my knees ones my feet touch bottom.

Best part, I can go under... stay under for a couple minutes, and pop up easily by straightening my legs. It is a bit of a bugger to struggle out of when I want to get out, though.... but that's part of the fun.

[gamwam]

peaty more organic mud is much better as its less dense,... however if its to saturated with water this affects boyancy too,... i sink in a nautrall peat bog in the peak distrcit,... im usually able to go under and stay there without boyancy pushing me back up, and with added weights in this sort of mud you can get your self into a situation where you dont have to pull your self down,.. the weights tend to pull you down,. but only when you move,.. standing still and weighted you still dont sink on your own..

stay away from the silty stuff like riverbed muck,. tidal estuaries and gravel pit tailings,.. as these are usually very dense and if you do manage to get under,. you will just pop back up again

i do have a few videos of me sinking under and staying under using a hose to breath through,. .and in one or two you can see thats its actually quite a struggle for me to get my head back above the surface,... one day ill edit them down and post snippet or two,. although i think in some of my older posts i might have posted one of me jumping in and dissapearing

gaz

[Nessie]

In a vertical positioon you can go under by lifting the mud with your hands. If you can dig your feet into even thicker mud down deep you can even submerge with one or both hands in the air. You can akso submerge by laying back, although this can be dangerous (possiby very dangerous) if the mud is very thick. I try to favor the method of digging in the feet and squatting when filming.

Laying back gets the mud up my nose.

I haven't found an easy answer in anything thick enough for a slow sinking, but both of Fred's suggestions, I use. If you pretend your hands are stuck in the mud, you can push up without anyone seeing this. I've done this both at Studio 588 and at Poison Sumac Bog.

At Poison Sumac Bog, the pits are so narrow that they have solid sides so I dig my toes into them and use that to help me sink.

As for a non-video, real, true sinking...not sure what to tell anyone. Everything I've ever used stops me at chest-deep. Unless it's thin, in which case it may look good and I can sink easy...but I happen to prefer the feel of it thick!

Nessie

[bart1997]

-

[gamwam]

@bart1997 yah it was very sloppy when i filmed that,.. but like i mentioned,. when its that wet boynacy actually pushes you back up again,.. ifs its dryier and thicker as it is right now,... i can also walk around on it sinking not much more than above the knee,.. but with some wriggleing or some weights,.. i can sink under easily under,. and stay there,.. i really must find some video so i can show u guys how naturall peat bogs behave when thick and dry

gaz