Florida beachgoers left astonished as a bear startles them by emerging from the ocean

On Sunday, visitors at Destin's beach were delighted by the astonishing spectacle of a young black bear cub frolicking in the ocean waves to beat the heat. This captivating scene unfolded during the afternoon when temperatures reached the 80s.

Videos circulating on social media captured the extraordinary sight of a bear enjoying a refreshing swim in the Gulf of Mexico's azure waters. The adorable cub made its way from the deep sea to a crowded beach, surprising beachgoers and sparking a flurry of online activity.

One clip showcases the young bear's impressive swimming skills, prompting an observer to humorously remark, "I guess he's on vacation, too!" As the cub gets closer to the shore, it happily frolics in the knee-deep water among amazed human spectators. The astonishment of the crowd is evident as voices exclaim, "It's a bear!"

Chris Barron, an eyewitness who circulated one of the viral videos capturing the bear's beach excursion, expressed his excitement on Twitter, stating, "A bear just swam from way out in the ocean to shore in Destin. Insane."

Jennifer Majors Smith, who currently resides in Nashville but was vacationing with her family in the Florida Panhandle, shared multiple videos of the incredible encounter on Facebook. She expressed her astonishment, stating, "Never have I ever...seen a black bear swim up out of the Gulf Coast and onto the beach (and I'm from Pensacola)."

She went on to describe the moment, saying, "A man was yelling out 'Bear!' You would expect 'shark or dolphin' but not bear. It came out of the Gulf and looked tired but relieved. We were all shocked by and amazed to see what we saw. We were all glad to see him safe from the water."

After enjoying his time on the Florida beach, the young bear headed straight towards nearby sand dunes, disappearing from sight near a condominium.

According to Captain Chris Kirby, a charter boat captain from Charter Boat Backlash in Destin, “It’s not uncommon. There are a lot of bears at Eglin Air Force Base. They swim across the bay. Sometimes they go for a joy swim.”

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