SUV Stuck In Rising Sea Waters Rescued In Time

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SUV Stuck In Rising Sea Waters On Tg. Sedili Beach Rescued In Time

Beaches are nice places to watch the sunset (or sunrise) and enjoy the nice breeze. But enjoying the sights should not be done from a car parked close to the water. A couple who did not realize that the water level can rise when the tide comes in found that their SUV was stuck in the sand as the seawater rose.

The incident was a rare one and the police at Kuala Sedili in Kota Tinggi, Johor shared it on their Facebook page today. The pictures accompanying their post showed the SUV, a Mazda CX-5, stuck in the sand as the water started to rise around it. Fortunately, the couple in the car were able to get help and pull the vehicle away before it was submerged.

^{All pictures by Polis Balai Kuala Sedili}

In the post, it was reported that a team from the Kuala Sedili police station and residents of Tanjung Sedili rushed to the site to assist. One of the residents, Encik Iswandi, had a 4×4 vehicle which was used to pull the vehicle to higher ground.

The SUV owner was lucky to get help so fast as the incoming tide can raise the water level quite fast. The vehicle might not have been totally submerged but might have started to float outwards if not removed in time. Salty seawater is also bad for vehicles and they will need to thoroughly wash it to avoid corrosion starting later on.

The Kuala Sedili police advise the public who visit the beach area to take the necessary precautions to maintain safety. They should always be vigilant to avoid such incidents which can cause loss of life or property.

Driving on the beach is generally unadvisable, whether or not you have a 4×4 vehicle. Even experienced off-road drivers will think first and examine the route they plan to drive along to ensure the ground is hard enough. This is hard to determine just by looking and inexperienced people may be misled into thinking the ground is solid enough.

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Even if it is and the vehicle is parked at the water’s edge, rising water may soften the sand and cause the vehicle to slowly sink, which seems to have been what happened in this incident. If the vehicle starts to sink into the sand and the first efforts to drive away do not work, it is best to not attempt further as the spinning wheels will just dig deeper and make things worse.

The solution is to get help quickly, either to push the vehicle or better still, get another vehicle to tow using a cable. It’s important to note that the other vehicle should be on solid ground which may be some distance away so a long cable will be needed.

But the best way to avoid having such drama is not to drive on the beach. There are usually safe spots near enough to the water (and private enough, if that’s required) to enjoy the views.