TikTok trends go from the entertaining and hilarious, to dangerous and ridiculous.
Men and women all over the world often join trends for the sake of getting views and likes, not always thinking about the repercussions of their actions or how it affects others.
Like digging massive holes along the beach.
These huge, gaping holes are being spotted around Sanibel and Marco Island thanks to a trending social media challenge called, “How deep can you dig?”
It’s not illegal but huge holes left around can pose a danger to people, especially smaller kids.
Even local wildlife can fall in and get trapped. Imagine what happens if the hole fills up with water.
This trend led to the Marco Island Police Department taking a photo of a hole before posting on Tweeter saying,
“We like to leave our beaches better than we found them. Please refill the hole and kindly take your things with you. It’s a hazard to other beachgoers, especially our beautiful sea turtles.”
A little common sense goes a long way.
Those holes can go as far as five to six feet deep, and in some cases, deeper and wider.
“There was some TikTok challenges saying, ‘How deep can you dig?’” said Sabibel Mayor Holly Smith.
“I don’t care if they dig to China. Just fill it in before they leave,” said Allison Ward, a beach goer.
Basically, if you have the energy to dig it, then you have the energy to fill it.
It’s not just in Florida either. TikTok users have shared the holes they have dug along the beach.
These trend following diggers come from other coastal states.
These massive holes can get filled with personal items left behind at the beach.
That can be a hindrance to sea turtles, says Clearwater Marine Aquarium sea turtle rehab specialist Cassandra Starr.
“You can imagine a 3-inch-long hatchling falling into a hole we created,” Starr explained. “It may seem small to us, but it seems like the Grand Canyon to them. So, fill in those holes and help them get to the water safely.”
Now imagine toys, chairs, pop-up tents and worse, trash.
Those are all obstacles for a nesting sea turtle.
“One of the other things they can do is knock down their sand castles and fill in their holes,” Starr added.
Sea turtles will make anywhere between 40,000 to 84,000 nests across the coast between March and October.
The sunshine state is a hot spot for sea turtles.
Almost 90 percent of nesting happening on Florida’s beaches according to experts.
The police are right to be concerned. And it’s not just for the turtles, but for other unsuspecting beach goers.
Think of the elderly and the children. No one wants to end up in a hospital.
One sure way to deter these reckless diggers is to impose a fine should one of them get caught leaving a hole. Fill it back up or pay up.
Check out this concerning trend in the video below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
