Beach bum? No, bear! Florida sunbathers shocked by ursine oceangoer

A black bear was sighted in the Gulf of Mexico before it decamped into the nearby dunes to the astonishment of beachgoers

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.