We are here on the Blind Side, The sun is shining, there is sand between your toes and you’re enjoying some down time at the beach. It’s an experience that many of us look forward to every summer, but for others it’s an occasion remembered for years to come for all the wrong reasons! From the sneaky grey whale, playing a game of hide and seek to the unexpected shark attack, if these 15 beach moments were not filmed, no one would believe them.
15. Gray whale sneaks up on surfers
A group of surfers got the fright of their lives whilst surfing on a California beach in late 2017, when their afternoon was interrupted by an inquisitive visitor of the mammal variety.
A young gray whale had snuck into the shores of Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, unseen by the group and taking them completely by surprise.
The moment was captured by Payton Landaas who was flying his drone over the area at the exact time the whale was silently sneaking up on the surfers who were waiting for waves near a rocky jetty called Boneyards.
Landaas told the Orange County Register that he initially saw a ‘poof’ in the water, while he was watching the waves near his home in Capo Beach. That ‘poof’ turned out to be a whale spout.
He grabbed his drone and flew it towards the scene, filming the whale swimming beneath the group’s feet. Completely oblivious of the whale up to this point, one surfer appeared spooked and quickly paddled away.
Simply out for an innocent swim, the whale carried on his merry way, unaware of the excitement he had caused.
The video was uploaded to YouTube and as of November 15, 2019, it had been viewed about 150,0000 times.
Now it’s time for the Star Topic
Imagine your shadow playing in the surf behind you. You are in your swimsuit, your shadow dressed completely in black from head to foot. It seems like a relatively normal scene really, until you notice that rather than casting a flat silhouette across the water, it has more of a 3D appearance. Even more disturbing, is the fact it appears completely out of sync with your movements and is positively dancing across the water behind you. This was the situation a female beachgoer found herself in recently, when she noticed a dark figure in the water behind her. No, it wasn’t a shark, or any sort of sea creature, it was a person, enjoying a warm day at the beach, wearing a morph suit! Yes, you read that right, a morph suit. This picture, captured by a bystander, needs a great caption. What would your caption be?
Comment down below with the hashtag #StarTopic, and we might PIN the best comment in relation to this picture. With that said, let’s keep things moving!
14.Shark Attacks
Like a scene right out of the Steven Spielberg directed ‘Jaws’, a spear fisherman was taken completely by surprise when a shark attacked out of nowhere off Florida Keys.
The dramatic moment, when the hunter became the hunted, was caught on camera and shows Parker Simpson swimming off Boca Chica Key with a fish in his hand.
A shark suddenly charges towards him, first appearing to look at his dive buddy Justyn, but then turning his attention on him.
Assuming the shark was headed for the black groper in his hand, Simpson released it, hoping that was the end of the ordeal. But that was not to be.
As he watched the groper swim away, the shark lunged at him, taking a bite out of his leg and tearing his flipper.
Bleeding out from the significant wound to his leg, he makes his way to the surface and is heard yelling at Justyn to get his gun.
Fortunately, the attack ended almost as soon as it had begun, but left Simpson with a nasty wound that required 56 stitches and cost him more than a liter of blood.
13. Man Saves Baby Dolphin
On a beach in Namibia in June 2016, a brave and quick-thinking man saved the life of a baby dolphin who had become stranded after washing ashore.
Pelican Point Kayaking owner Naude Dreyer discovered the helpless dolphin on his way back from a morning tour.
Without hesitation, he checked the juvenile male dolphin was okay, picked him up and carefully depositing him back in the ocean.
The incident was filmed and shows the tour guide waiting in the water with the Benguela dolphin, while he settles into the ocean and finally swims away.
The heartwarming footage was uploaded to Pelican Point Kayaking’s Facebook page and became a social media sensation overnight, with a whopping three million views in less than 24 hours.
At the time Dreyer said he wasn’t sure the young dolphin would survive the ordeal, but once he got into the water, his instincts had taken over and he ‘took off like a bullet’.
Despite the positive outcome, Whales and Dolphin Conservation discourage people from helping, as it can dangerous.
Nevertheless, in this instance, all was well and thanks to Dreyer, the little dolphin is back swimming in his natural habitat, safe and sound.
12. Amazing Sand Art
Professional sand modeler, Matt Long is one very clever artist. He travels the world creating sandcastles, earning up to $70,000 for one of his intricate sculptures.
Long has worked for Rockefeller Plaza, Ringling Brothers, and Nickelodeon and it is easy to see why.
He creates fairytale-like castles, with incredibly fine detail, and he does this for a living.
A far cry from the sandcastles we created as children with an upside-down bucket, perhaps a moat if you were lucky, these sculptures are simply amazing.
One of his most amazing creations, a 10ft tall sculpture of a fairytale palace was filmed in New York in 2013. The stunning and elaborate sculpture was so detailed, it takes the art of making sandcastles to a whole new level.
It featured a staircase wrapping around a high tower, intricate arches, individual bricks and tiny windows, all made from sand and water.
A Staten Island local, Long started creating sculptures from sand with his children whilst on vacation, over 20 years ago, and has entered and been placed in world championship sand sculpting competitions.
The beauty of his work, however, is fleeting, disappearing over time, leaving a blank landscape for another castle to rise from.
11. Huge cliff collapse
Imagine your horror when strolling along the beach front one day, minding your own business, and next minute the cliff side surrounding you starts to implode.
The reaction for many would be to run, but not so for Norfolk-local Brad Damms who decided to stop and film the cliff fall at Sidestrand, near Cromer.
He was there to complete research as part of a six-month monitoring project. Using 3D scans to track any changes in the coastline, Damms was in the right place at the right time, considering himself very lucky to witness 1000’s tons of rock falling into the Atlantic.
The area had seen intense rainfall at the time, and the cliff collapse may have resulted from this. Members of the public were warned that other cliff edges could be vulnerable and were urged to give the area a wide berth.
Damms footage shows the dramatic moment when a large section of the cliff collapses, with chunks from the top peeling off and pushing the rest down with it to the beach below.
The process began around 6am, with the earth falling all the way to the waterline, making it impossible to walk along the beach between Trimingham and Sidestrand at high tide.
10. Lightning striking a boat
An electrical storm is an awesome sight, particularly if watched from a safe distance, but for one boat owner, it proved extremely unlucky.
In July 2019, a powerful storm rolled through Massachusetts, creating booming thunder and impressive lightning strikes. One of these strikes was recorded by a passerby who caught the moment it hit a private pleasure craft, docked in South Boston.
The video showed the bolt hitting the boat, the resulting sparks and what appeared to be an explosion on board. Looking very much like a 4th of July fireworks show, the sparks were seen to die out almost as quickly as they started.
Fortunately, there was no one on board the boat at the time, and the damage was limited to just the one boat at the dock.
According to statistics, the likelihood of a boat being hit by lightning in the United States is about 1 in 1,000, with the location and type of boat increasing or decreasing the odds.
If, for example, your boat is moored in Florida, the chances are greater than if it was in Idaho, with Florida accounting for one-third of all lightning-related incidents.
9. A crocodile suddenly appearing
Swimmers and sunbathers at Tayrona National Natural Park in northern Columbia quickly abandoned their beach towels and sunscreen when a toothy beast casually wandered across the sand towards them in January 2019.
The incident was filmed by an eyewitness who watched a group of men, wandering along the sand right into the path of the scaly reptile, unaware of its presence.
Upon realizing the imminent danger, the men are seen fleeing from the creature, with thoughts of becoming its afternoon snack, no doubt running through their minds.
Although potentially dangerous to humans, local officials say this species is not known to be as aggressive as some others, with around 15 living in the national park. How reassuring!
Beachgoers were also reminded that the park was not just for people to enjoy, it was also home to the protected wildlife, so it was not unusual to see them in the area.
And it seems the land-loving croc isn’t the only one to watch out for, with the saltwater version responsible for 30 attacks per year. Experts advise staying at least 20 meters away and not to provoke or swim near them.
Perhaps relaxing by the pool might be a safer option.
8. Rattlesnake swimming out to sea
If the ocean wasn’t quite scary enough, here’s another sea-faring creature to add to the list.
A video surfaced in 2017 of a rattlesnake taking a quick dip in the ocean, heading out to sea from a North Carolina beach.
The video, captured by Sam Corlis, shows what appears to be a large rattlesnake on a beach near the northeast end of Ocracoke Island. An unusual sight, the snake was swimming directly into the ocean, with its head sitting above the surface, making its way through the waves directly out to sea.
Corlis was the only person on the beach to witness the scene unfold, however her footage leaves little doubt that the incident took place.
She said the rattlesnake appeared comfortable with his surroundings. With snake tracks leading from a bird sanctuary on the island, it was obvious where the reptile had come from.
And it’s not an isolated sighting either, with a charter boat captain spotting the deadly species swimming in the ocean of Floida Keys in January 2019. Ted Wilson noticed the rattlesnake while fishing and believed it to be a five-foot Eastern diamondback, the largest venomous snake in North America.
He took a cellphone video of the snake swimming towards his boat and uploaded it to Facebook. The footage has been viewed more than 150,000 times.
7. Adorable Cat Swimming
Slightly unusual, but incredibly cute, Nathan the cat loves to swim, and preferably in the ocean.
The bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and completely adorable cat, is a rescue, adopted by forever parents, Rian and Melissa in 2017.
It’s a well-known fact that cats and water don’t normally mix, however Nathan was determined to be different right from the start.
A unique feline, in more ways than one, even her name is unique. Yes, Nathan is a girl.
Basically, a mermaid; or ‘purrmaid’, this gorgeous little black kitty enjoys nothing more than to follow her parents into the ocean, any chance she gets.
The couple live a very active lifestyle and decided their indoor cat, might like to do the same, taking Nathan along on one of their trips to the beach!
She happily trotted off without her leash, following the pair into the water, becoming more and more confident with every visit.
In fact, this intrepid kitten is evening learning to conquer the waves.
6. Giant Lego Man
All manner of items have been found on the shores of beaches right throughout the world, but none quite so intriguing as the unique Lego figure, that arrived on a beach in Japan in 2014.
Not just any piece of Lego either, this piece would have been hard to miss, measuring a massive 8-foot from end to end.
Spotted by a surfer on Yuigahama beach in Kamakura, south of Tokyo, the plastic yellow figurine was dressed in blue trousers and a red t-shirt emblazoned with the cryptic message ‘no real than you are’.
If that wasn’t odd enough, apparently several others have turned up on beaches in the Netherlands, Brighton and Florida. Whether they are the same figure, or this guys friends, is uncertain, but the hardy chap named ‘Ego Leonard’ is said to be one of the works of a Dutch guerilla artist who works under the same pseudonym.
Likely a publicity stunt, the Lego man appears to turn up in areas where the artist, Leon Keer, is exhibiting at local arts festivals.
Keer is said to have been responsible for Ego’s first appearance on Zandvoort beach in the Netherlands in 2007.
5. Shack vs Croc Fight
When two of the deadliest marine predators on the planet decide to fight it out, you’d better hope you’re not in the way.
Footage of the unusual battle was captured from a charter boat floating along the Prince Regent River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 2018.
The country is already renowned for its terrifying animals, and this video has added further fuel to the growing fire.
The footage shows a large crocodile and a shark facing off after the boat crew throw fish scraps into the river.
Unbeknown to the saltwater crocodile gliding across the water, innocently reaching for its meal, another dangerous predator was lurking below, ready to pounce without warning.
Two of Australia’s deadliest marine predators, the shark and the crocodile appear to wrestle for the meal, with only one living to tell the tale.
Within an instant, the two come face-to-face, with the crocodile snapping its giant jaws around the shark, swimming away with it’s slightly larger ‘catch of the day’.
This incident is not an isolated one, with sharks and gators also occasionally going tooth-to-tooth along the Florida coast as well. In 2017, photographers captured alligators snacking on sharks in the area and in 2018 a fisherman in Florida was in the middle of reeling a shark aboard his boat when it was promptly snatched and eaten by a 500-pound Goliath groper!
Considered a relatively rare event, sharks and gators don’t often meet up, as one tends to hang out in semi-salty swamps and the other prefers coastal waters.
4.Nightmare Octopus
An over friendly sea urchin made for a hilarious sight, when it was filmed in Torre del Greco, Naples, Italy.
The octopus could be seen wrapping its tentacles around Giuseppe Tortorella, effectively giving him a slimy bear hug.
Tortorella was out for a swim with his friend Roberto when he encountered the clingy octopus, an encounter that was captured by a cameraman standing on board a boat nearby.
He tries to shake the 8-legged creature off, however due to his very smooth dive suit, Tortorella just couldn’t get rid of the enormous hitchhiker.
Smiling as he tries to disentangle the octopus, Tortorella doesn’t appear fazed by the incident at all.
Attempts at removing the creature by ducking under the water repeatedly make no difference to his predicament, with the octopus’ tentacles having to be physically peeled off him.
A hilarious video providing proof of an incident that will be talked about for years no doubt, both above and below the ocean floor.
3. Orcas approaching swimmers
A lone swimmer at Hahei Beach got an unexpected visitor in 2018 when she locked eyes with not one, but several orcas circling her in the water.
The image, captured via drone, shows the terrifying moment a pod of killer whales approached Judie Johnson, with one nibbling her toes.
Initially, she believed the inquisitive creatures to be dolphins, however when she noticed the white coloring on their back, she decided to head into shore.
Wearing a black wetsuit, Johnson was concerned the whales would mistake her for a seal and take more than a nibble out of her, however she soon returned to the water to finish her swim.
Not content with meeting up with her once, the whales decided to introduce themselves again.
Johnson said that although she was initially gripped with fear, she soon relaxed and says it was a ‘life-changing experience’.
The footage was captured by Australian tourist, Dylan Brayshaw, who was surprised Johnson had returned to the water following the first encounter.
But according to Orca expert Dr Regina Eisert, the swimmer had nothing to worry about, with killer whales simply ‘big dolphins with a fancy paint job’.
2. Dog rescues girl in the sea after thinking she’s in trouble
The dog is renown the whole world over for being ‘man’s best friend’, but one dog took his responsibilities to new heights at a beach near Gouville-sur-Mer, in France in 2018.
Keeping an eagle eye on his owner’s granddaughter playing at the water’s edge, Matya believed she was getting a little too close to the water and decided to take matters into his own paws.
The incredible moment, where he grabbed the little girl by the t-shirt and hauled her out of harm’s way, was captured on camera, quickly becoming a hit with social media users, gaining over a million views and shared by thousands of dog lovers.
Critics of her grandparent are likely to say, ‘where were they, when she fell into the water?’, but as we can see on the video, Matya was simply being a little overprotective. The little girl was, in fact, having the time of her life, safely playing in and out of the water.
You can never be too careful though, can you Matya?
Fortunately, the little girl enjoyed the game and was seen to be giggling as the dog latched onto her top and pulled her towards the beach and away from the water.
What a clever doggy.
1.Glowing beach
Nature has a habit of surprising you, often when you least expect it, but if you’re looking to add something truly special to your bucket list, a visit to one of the six beaches around the world that naturally glow at night, might be a good start.
Located in Japan, Jamaica, Vietnam, Australia, Thailand and the Maldives, these beaches present a stark reminder that nature is truly awesome.
Putting on an extravagant display of magical beauty, the light is created and emitted by a living organism, not alien life as some might have you believe.
Plankton, not the wee green guy constantly trying to secure the Krabby Pattie recipe on SpongeBob, but the other kind, is a sea creature that glows when distressed, producing the picturesque light show.
Although the event is rare, the spectacular display attracts thousands of tourists who enjoy the feeling of effectively swimming among the stars.
A picturesque and colorful sight no doubt, but it’s hard to get passed the fact this display is only made possible by plankton in distress, with the light display forming part of their defense mechanism.
Next time you’re minding your own business at the beach, look around you, there’s certain to be an opportunity for a social media sensation. You might even capture a moment so rare; it’s never been seen before. If not, why not create one for yourself? Also, check out our other cool stuff showing up on screen right now. See you next time!