Black Bear Takes A Swim Off FL Beach: 'Guess He's On Vacation, Too'

DESTIN, FL — An unexpected guest shocked Florida beachgoers Sunday as they relaxed on the sunny, sandy shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Destin.

In several videos shared on Facebook, a small black bear was captured swimming toward shore while stunned and curious vacationers looked on.

Jennifer Majors Smith, who posted a compilation of videos to social media, told AL.com she was visiting the Florida Panhandle town when the bear was spotted in the water.

At first, no one could tell the animal was a bear, Smith told AL.com.

"A man was yelling out 'Bear!' You would expect 'shark or dolphin' but not bear," she told the publication.

Smith later expressed her surprise on Facebook. "Never have I ever….seen a black bear swim out of the Gulf Coast and onto the beach (and I'm originally from Pensacola)," she wrote.

In the videos, the bear eventually reaches the shore, running past several onlookers under blue umbrellas before disappearing into the dunes.

Florida resident Steffani Saddler was returning from a scuba diving trip when she spotted the bear in the water, she told CNN.

"We couldn't tell what it was, so we turned the boat to get closer, and that's when we realized it was a bear," Saddler told CNN.

She continued, "I guess he's on vacation too."

Captain Chris Kirby, a charter boat captain for Charter Boat Backlash, which operates out of Destin, told AL.com that bear sitings on the beach aren't as uncommon as one might think.

"There are a lot of bears at Eglin Air Force Base. They swim across the bay. Sometimes they go for a joy swim," he told the publication.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission, bears are widespread in much of the state and are frequently found in Destin and southern parts of the Florida Panhandle.

While bear attacks are rare, they are always a possibility, according to the National Parks Service. To avoid an attack, the NPS encourages humans to follow a few pieces of advice:

• Identify yourself by talking calmly and waving your arms slowly so the bear knows you are a human and not a prey animal.
• Stay calm and remember that most bears do not want to attack you; they usually just want to be left alone. Talk to the bear in low, calm tones.
• Pick up small children immediately. Do not make loud noises or scream — the bear may think it's the sound of a prey animal.
• Hike and travel in groups. Because of their cumulative size, groups are also intimidating to bears.
• If the bear is stationary, move away slowly and sideways. Moving sideways is also non-threatening to bears.
• Do not run. Stand your ground. Like dogs, they will chase fleeing animals or people.
• Do not climb a tree. Both grizzlies and black bears can climb trees.