Port Moody Fire Department is warning the public to stay off the Rocky Point mud flats when the tide is out after a woman got stuck on the weekend.
Rescue crews used special mud shoes to access the victim, running hoses from the shore to liquify the ground around her and pull her loose.
Deputy chief Gord Parker said while the flats look safe to walk on, there are areas in the middle of the inlet where mud can be as deep as eight feet.
"They are deceivingly dangerous," he said. "You really don't realize it until you are in it. We definitely recommend people stay on the shore."
The woman was accompanied by a friend when the pair decided to set out for Old Orchard Park from the shores of Rocky Point. The two were able to get about 100 feet from shore before they ran into trouble.
"Once it grabs you, there is nothing you can do," Parker said. "It is amazing the suction that grabs on to your feet."
The more a person struggles, he added, the deeper they will go. The woman rescued on Sunday was up to her chest in mud when they called emergency crews from a cellphone.
It took firefighters, who train for mud rescues, about 30 minutes to free the woman and bring her safely to shore.
"I'm sure it is a bit on the embarrassing side," Parker said.
"But it happens. We have put together a program and we have the equipment to make the rescue pretty quick. It doesn't tie up a lot of resources."
