Woman rescued from chest-deep ‘quicksand-like silt’ near Budd Inlet in Olympia
A woman was rescued from Ellis Cove on Wednesday after she sank in the mud up to her chest, according to the Olympia Fire Department.
The fire department posted details about the rescue on social media. The Olympian reached out to the department, but a contact there wasn’t immediately available.
About noon Wednesday, the Olympia Fire Department, plus Olympia police, Lacey Fire District 3 and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, were dispatched to the Ellis Cove trailhead in the 2600 block of East Bay Drive Northeast.
According to the post, they “were able to safely remove the woman from the mud with very minor injuries.”
“She was taken to shore, evaluated, and refused further evaluation at the hospital,” the post reads. “This situation could have had a much different ending without the quick 911 call and the availability of all the agencies that responded.”
The Olympia Fire Department shared some reminders about tidal mudflats in its post.
“This is a great reminder that tidal mudflats present extreme drowning and entrapment hazards due to fast-rising tides and unstable, quicksand-like silt,” the post reads.
“Coastal areas often look solid but can liquefy instantly under weight, causing a vacuum-like suction that makes getting out by yourself nearly impossible.”
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Woman rescued from chest-deep ‘quicksand-like silt’ near Budd Inlet in Olympia."
