I almost died digging 8ft deep hole on beach when I was swallowed by QUICKSAND – but I'd do it again
Jensen Sturgeon was celebrating his 22nd birthday on Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, with his pals - but grew bored of sunbathing and started to dig a hole instead.
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Initially, Jensen had been digging a hole with his hands, but was soon given a shovel by an intrigued beach worker to aid his efforts.
Adventurous Jensen was trying to dig as deep as possible when it turned into a quicksand trap - collapsing around him.
The panicked beachgoer's legs started to sink and become stuck as he tried to regain his footing.
Jensen told The Sun: "I started tunnelling a little bit, and then whilst I was inside the tunnel, [the sand] all collapsed on me and at the start it was all over my head.
"At that point, I thought that was it. It was over my head, and all the sand was around me, and I couldn't move.
"It all just came down at once, all a heavy load all on top.
"[This] was my most near-death experience I've had - I was like: 'This can't be it?'"
As Jensen continued to panic, he desperately called out for his friends to help him, initially to no avail.
"I was trying to shout for my mate, so I had a little bit of room next to my face," he said.
"Obviously they couldn't hear me, because of all the sand and I was honestly so scared.
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"I didn't know what was gonna happen."
The Brit's friends soon got help - with some 30 beachgoers ending up gathering around him to help get him one.
One man even climbed into the hole to help Jensen.
But because of the amount of sand pushing against him, Jensen said he felt like "it was crushing my chest".
"At one point I couldn't breathe," he added.
It took a whopping three hours for the gargantuan crowd to rescue him as they scrambled to gather wood, shovels and rope to pull him to the surface.
Jensen was even given a beer to cool down - which pals hope might even help his nerves to subside.
As he was rescued, the Brit was met with cheers and applause from onlookers who had watched the scene unfold for over three hours.
Jensen said: "My legs were just so wobbly. I just collapsed on the floor. I could hardly stand.
"I think it's just the amount of pressure of the sand, and maybe fear, I guess, or adrenaline."
Despite what appeared to be a near-death experience, Jensen carried on with his Brazil holiday - and confessed it hadn't put him off digging more holes on the beach in the future.
He said: "Who doesn't want to dig a big hole at the beach?
"I think it might be a guy thing. I just wanted to do it.
"I want to say yes [it's taught me a lesson], but I don't think it has."
In another video filmed at the airport before he flew home, 22-year-old Jensen said: "I'm Jensen from England and I'm the guy who got stuck in that hole.
"I was digging an eight foot hole and, basically what was going through my head [was], I thought I was going to die.
"But luckily I had good people to save me.
"Obrigado to the people of Rio that helped me out."
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