Wayward Black Bear Cub Swims in the Gulf of Mexico Then Runs Onto the Beach in Destin, Florida

Beachgoers in Destin, Florida, were surprised to see a wayward black bear cub swimming in the Gulf of Mexico and exiting onto the beach.

Several witnesses saw the curious young bear taking a dip in Destin’s beautiful blue Gulf of Mexico waters and captured the rare sighting on video…

Captain Chris Kirby of Charter Boat Backlash explained to AL.com that this isn’t as unusual as it seems.

It’s not uncommon…There are a lot of bears at Eglin Air Force Base [which lies east of Pensacola near Destin]. They swim across the bay. Sometimes they go for a joy swim..

Nonetheless, no one seemed to expect the ursine visitor that day.

Pensacola musician Jennifer Majors Smith, who captured much of the footage, created a humorous song dedicated to the little black bear.

Bear floatin’ got no worries or care, Bear floatin’ got no burdens to bear 

Bear floatin til somebody yelled “ BEAR! BEAR!”

Bear floatin’ in the ocean, now I’m your child’s nightmare

Thanks Char Rohrer!

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.