Beach bum? No, bear! Florida sunbathers shocked by ursine ocean-goer

An American black bear in one of its usual aquatic habitats – ie, not the Gulf of Mexico – in Alaska. Photograph: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images

Florida beachgoers have long been accustomed to the threats from sharks in their warm waters, but bathers at Destin recently got a surreal shock when they saw a black bear emerge from the surf and amble on to the beach.

Local TV station WMBB reported that stunned onlookers saw the bear, which appeared to be a youngster, swimming in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and heading to shore.