A black bear was spotted swimming next to people on a sunny day at a crowded beach in Destin, Florida, on June 11.
Footage taken by Chris Barron shows the bear walking out of the ocean next to beachgoers.
Chris Barron told Storyful the bear was swimming right beside his 12-year-old son and Chris’s brother.
“The bear was out pretty far. A lot of people started swimming in. I was worried it was a shark. I walked over and thought it was a dog,” Barron said.
“At this point I realized it was a bear and started videoing. It kept swimming in. He got to shore, shook off, and ran into the brush in the sand dunes.
“I think most people were shocked instead of being scared. No one expected to see a bear in the Gulf of Mexico.”
