Outer Banks town begs tourists to stop digging ‘extremely dangerous’ pits in NC beach
Holes deep enough for human burials are being found on Outer Banks beaches, and the coastal town of Kill Devil Hills is calling for beachgoers to stop or risk getting someone injured or killed.
“Today alone, our ocean rescue supervisor responded to three large holes dug/left on our beach. Yes, you read that right, three in one day — and it’s only March!” the department wrote in a March 13 Facebook post.
“We cannot stress this enough, digging large holes on the beach is extremely dangerous. Sand collapses occur in holes just a few feet deep. ... You are far more likely to experience a sand hole collapse than a shark attack.”
The warning was issued not long after video shared by the OBX Locals Facebook page showed a man standing in a neck-deep hole while continuing to dig with a shovel. The group has more than 22,000 members.
“Fools with a death wish,” wrote one commenter. “Who knows what could have happened to them or someone coming by later.”
Injuries and deaths have been attributed to holes left in Outer Banks beaches.
In May 2023, a 17-year-old Virginia boy was smothered and died after becoming “trapped under several feet of sand” near Frisco on the Outer Banks. The collapse happened at a hole dug into a sand dune, National Park Service officials said.
Still, beach digging is so common that Outer Banks towns such as Kill Devil Hills have established guidelines.
Holes shouldn’t be deeper than they are wide, and “children and adults should not dig holes deeper than their knees when standing in them,” police said. Holes should also be filled in before leaving the beach for the day.
“No one goes to the beach expecting to leave with a broken ankle or worse. Sand holes can cause numerous injuries to other beach-goers,” the department wrote.
“Sand holes make it challenging for first responders to quickly get to an emergency on the beach, and they can cause damage to the responders’ vehicles and create a secondary emergency.”
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