Sex on the beach is a sexcapade most couples fantasize about but seldom act out. An amorous Italian couple on vacation decided to make the most of a warm day on a deserted beach when they dipped themselves into the deep blue sea at Porto San Giorgio, Italy, to have underwater sex. The sexy rendezvous in the sea ended up in agony when the couple’s genitals got stuck together in a passionate clinch.

According to The Local, the man was unable to extricate himself from the woman due to suction. They remained in the water until they caught the attention of a woman walking along the beach, who offered them a towel as they struggled to get back to the shore. The couple solicited medical help by calling a doctor to the scene.

The case was so severe the doctor could not do the job at the beach and decided to take the couple to the emergency room of a local hospital. The woman was given “an injection commonly used to dilate the uterus of pregnant women,” as Il Mattino reported. The adventurous couple was free to go their separate ways.

The news reports suggest this sexual mishap could be a case of the rare phenomenon penis captivus. This is the medical term used to describe for when the penis is essentially held captive by the vagina during sexual intercourse. When the penis is held captive by the vagina, neither partner can separate their genitals. Dr. John Dean, a senior UK-based sexual physician, told the BBC: “The muscles of the woman’s pelvic floor contract rhythmically at orgasm. … While those muscles contract, the penis becomes stuck and further engorged within [the vagina] until the muscles relax. Blood can flow out of the penis again, the penis starts to go down after orgasm, and the man can withdraw.”

Although Dean passes penis captivus off as a mild occurrence in humans, there have been reports of some of the most severe cases. A couple from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, could not untangle themselves from one another for seven hours during sex. Vongai Nhopi and her husband Cain Chamhuze remained stuck together until his father physically separated the pair, myzimbabwe.co.zw reported. In a desperate attempt to be not be attached at the hip, the couple called upon their neighbors for help. The resident took pictures of the couple as they struggled for their freedom.

Unlike these two unique cases, most of the time, penis captivus resolves on its own within a few minutes.