Two children rescued after collapsing sand hole traps them near Newport Beach Pier
Video shows lifeguards and beachgoers digging children free as waves filled a pit and rising tide tightened the sand
Two children were rescued after becoming trapped in a collapsing sand hole near the Newport Beach Pier in Southern California, a dramatic rescue captured on video and released weeks after the incident.
The boys had dug a hole in the sand in August and were left waist-deep and unable to move after waves surged in and saturated the pit, causing the walls to cave inward and water to fill the ditch. Beachgoers and three Newport Beach lifeguards frantically dug by hand to free the children as the tide rose; the boys were released after several tense minutes and were able to pose for the camera once they were free. The video, which was published in early September, has been viewed more than 20 million times.
Newport Beach Lifeguards Captain Mark Herman told Fox 11 that the incident illustrates how quickly seemingly stable sand can become dangerous once it is saturated with water. "Once that sand gets wet it gets heavy," Herman said. "It basically buried them from their waist down. They couldn't get themselves out." The rising tide tightened the walls of the hole and pushed water into the pit, complicating rescue attempts by nearby adults who initially tried to dig the boys out with their hands and plastic beach buckets.
Bystander Brittney Hood, who witnessed the rescue, said she was shaken by the scene and relieved the children were unharmed. "I couldn't imagine a hole collapsing on a child. I'm so glad they're okay," she said. One of the boys can be heard on the footage pleading, "Get the lifeguard!" as people worked to free them.
Lifeguards said the rescuers improvised a makeshift dam and used manual digging to loosen enough wet sand to free the boys. Capt. Herman warned that when children tunnel too far or are buried too deeply, the situation can be much more dangerous, particularly when the tide is coming in and every second counts.
Experts and local authorities have long warned that wet sand can lose its structural integrity: dry sand may appear stable, but water saturation increases its weight and can cause walls of holes or tunnels to collapse without warning. Beach safety messages typically caution against digging deep holes or tunnels, especially in the intertidal zone where waves and tides can rapidly change conditions.
The August incident, which occurred not far from the Newport Beach Pier, resurfaced publicly after the video was posted in September. It prompted renewed reminders from lifeguards and park officials about basic beach safety, including supervising children closely, avoiding deep holes, and recognizing that the ocean and shoreline can change quickly.
No serious injuries were reported in connection with the rescue. Lifeguards and beachgoers involved in the response have been credited with helping avert a potentially deadly outcome as the children were freed before the pit filled completely.
The episode highlights a common coastal hazard connected to beach recreation: environmental conditions—tides, waves and saturated sand—can rapidly transform a seemingly benign activity into a dangerous one. Lifeguards reiterated that shallow-seeming holes can collapse with little warning and urged the public to take care when digging or playing in the sand near the water.