What Was Your Most ‘Oh No’ Moment in the Desert?

[Mike M.]

 

“We’ve all had that one moment… stuck on a crest, lost a convoy, forgot to deflate, overheated, or took the wrong line into a bowl 😅

Drop your most unforgettable ‘Oh No’ desert moment — bonus points for photos or videos.

Let’s laugh, learn, and admit we’ve all been there 🙌”

 

 

[_luke_]

Oh-no, or oh-LOL! 😅

@Zed @ChrisW

Edited May 20, 2025 by Luke K P

[Mike M.]

8 minutes ago, Luke K P said:

Oh-no, or oh-LOL! 😅

@Zed @ChrisW

Is that you in a ditch @Luke K P and the guys are trying to pull you back up? or did i misinterpret the photo ?   

[_luke_]

oh i was definitely stuck in a ditch 😅

[Gaurav]

Great topic, @Mike M. – definitely one to laugh and learn from!

I still remember my near flip in Liwa a few years ago — all thanks to a rush of overexcitement.

I spotted this massive, tall dune and thought, “Why not attempt a sidey? Even reaching 70% height would be thrilling!” As I started the side slope, the car kept climbing effortlessly. At around 95%, I got greedy and decided to switch it up — let’s try a criss-cross!

Big mistake.

As soon as I crossed over, both wheels on the driver’s side went airborne. It was that classic “Oh no” moment. But by sheer luck or divine intervention, the car landed back on all four wheels just in time.

When I stepped out and looked at my tracks, I saw over 5 meters missing from the driver’s side. I just sat down on the sand for five minutes… letting the adrenaline settle.

[ChrisW]

6 minutes ago, Mike M. said:

Is that you in a ditch @Luke K P and the guys are trying to pull you back up? or did i misinterpret the photo ?   

This was my biggest case of “famous last words”. 
 

Luke, Zeddy and I did a short local drive by ourselves, and I mentioned before we started that I’d just had a winch fitted and wanted to try it out. 
 

Luke very kindly offered me the opportunity… 😂
 

Happily the winch works great and Luke was the first in a long list of happy customers! 

[Zed]

22 minutes ago, Luke K P said:

Oh-no, or oh-LOL! 😅

@Zed @ChrisW

well done @Luke K P  for crossing off one of the Lead bucket list: you haven't led a convoy yet if you haven't nose-dived yet 😂😂😂

[_luke_]

17 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Great topic, @Mike M. – definitely one to laugh and learn from!

I still remember my near flip in Liwa a few years ago — all thanks to a rush of overexcitement.

I spotted this massive, tall dune and thought, “Why not attempt a sidey? Even reaching 70% height would be thrilling!” As I started the side slope, the car kept climbing effortlessly. At around 95%, I got greedy and decided to switch it up — let’s try a criss-cross!

Big mistake.

As soon as I crossed over, both wheels on the driver’s side went airborne. It was that classic “Oh no” moment. But by sheer luck or divine intervention, the car landed back on all four wheels just in time.

When I stepped out and looked at my tracks, I saw over 5 meters missing from the driver’s side. I just sat down on the sand for five minutes… letting the adrenaline settle.

definately need something to soothe the nerves after a landing like that! lucky escape!

[ChrisW]

 

So my biggest “oh no” moment that I caught on camera is probably this one. Left side is forward view and right side is looking backwards. 
 

Very simple…tall ridge crossing, super soft on top, @Zed managed to miraculously pop across the top of the ridge without breaking it for me (😂), and I didn’t anticipate just how quickly my front diff would plough the ridge and bring me to a stop (you can see the approach speed was fairly high…but the momentum disappeared super quick). 
 

What made this an “oh no” rather than an “oh <choose your expletive here>” is @Marek leaving enough room to also come to a stop, and the car behind him in turn having the room to turn down. 
 

Great lesson in giving yourself enough distance to watch, think and react. 

[Gaurav]

Another one I can rem (with pics & video) going in a huge bowl and not able to come out.

Al Quaa - Dec 2018

Last 50 meters, I have to winch myself out (winch line + 3 tow ropes)