Sea, sand, and sun should be all about fun but they’re not, as these people’s responses to Fallon’s challenge will show you. Beware. Some of these stories will have you cringing with embarrassment. Others will have you wondering how something like this can be real.
One Twitter user admitted that a police helicopter spotlight found him making love to his wife on the beach. At night. While looking for a suspect. The officers told the couple to get a room. Another social media user told the Internet how a seagull stole her food and bikini top, leaving her topless in front of the entire beach. While a third person recounted how she swam in the dark in Florida, only to keep getting “nudged” by something in the water. She later found out it was shark mating season.
Now, you might be thinking that you’ll never swim again if there are vicious, man-eaters everywhere. But I’m here to let you know what to do in case you run into a shark! Shark season in Florida usually starts in January and ends in April. You should always swim in a group and avoid cloudy water; don’t swim with bleeding wounds, especially during or after twilight. You should also remove any jewelry or bright clothing, because shiny and high-contrast objects attract sharks. If you see a shark — get out of the water.
Shark expert Richard Peirce told CNN that during a shark encounter, you should stop panicking and maintain eye contact with the animal. If the shark’s attacking, you ought to make yourself as big as possible and fight tooth and nail. Sharks aren’t bears so don’t play dead. But if a shark is just passing by, you should make yourself seem as small as possible and slowly back away.
Florida has the most unprovoked shark attacks in the world. In 2018, there were 66 such attacks worldwide, 32 of which occurred in the United States. 16 of these happened in Florida.
A huge number of Americans go to the beach each year. According to the 2012 Statistical Abstract of the United States, a whopping 58.67 million people did so in 2010. That’s a fifth of the country! Just remember, if you’re in Florida, keep an eye out for shark fins in the water. Otherwise, your beach fail could be so bad, it might end up on Jimmy Fallon's Twitter thread.
