Whether you live on the beach or enjoy a regular visit, you’ve probably seen people (mainly kids) happily digging holes in the sand.

And hey, no one is judging you if you’ve dug one or two yourself.

There is at least one reason, though, why you really should refrain.

In fact, statistics suggest that more people suffocate in the sand on the shore than are killed in shark attacks every year.

This comes down to what happens to stand when we stack it into heaps, creating slopes of billions of moveable parts.

Dry sand is stable up to around a 33-degree slope, or its angle of repose, and after that, it’s movement is unpredictable.

This means that dry sand will eventually drop, quickly filling the hole that it was dug from and trapping anyone inside.

Rock or snow avalanches can contain pockets of air, letting the people trapped inside a way to breathe while they wait for rescue.

Sand, though, fills every available space. A person trapped beneath it has only as long as they can hold their breath to be saved.

If you’re faced with something like this, you can try to uncover their mouth, but any advanced rescue would have to be attempted by a professional.

Who would likely arrive too late to be of much help in anything but recovery.

Now that you know, make sure that you refill your holes before you leave the beach.

You wouldn’t want anyone (or thing) to have an unfortunate accident.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about a second giant hole has opened up on the sun’s surface. Here’s what it means.