Fail-Filled Summers On The Beach

Spring is right around the corner, which means it won’t be long until the time comes to break out the bathing suits and head down to the beach. Of course, the pandemic has put a halt on mass gatherings, and going to the beach on a busy day may not be the best idea at the moment. The thought of a crowded beach, lying in the sand just inches away from a stranger, swimming in the same water with other people… it’s enough to make us paranoid! But of course, people still want their beach days. Instead of sulking about it, why don’t we relive some of the internet’s dumbest things that have happened to people down on the beach, courtesy of Jimmy Fallon’s #BeachFails challenge. Hopefully, this puts us off going to the beach with our friends en masse so that we can all be safe till this is over.

Disclaimer: photos used in this article are for illustrative purposes only. Photos and the users who posted them are not to be associated in any way with the corresponding Tweets, Twitter users, or the discussion in the article.

False alarm

Thanks to the iconic 1975 film Jaws, we can’t swim in the sea without being at least a little jumpy. There’s always that quiet fear that a shark lurks in the waters beneath us. Sometimes that paranoia gets the better of us.

As was the case for this Twitter user. In addition to sending out a false alarm to the other beach-goers, he also managed to embarrass himself! Falling face-first is never a pleasant experience, but falling face-first in front of so many other people? Yikes.

Poor grandma

It’s always sweet when old couples are at the beach together. It’s even cuter when they’re with their dogs. One family’s beach trip started out as innocently as any other trip. But unfortunately, it did not end too well.

We’re just glad this Twitter user put that last hashtag on. Thank God grandma got up! It’s always hard to tell whether someone is just messing around or is actually in need of help, especially when you’re watching them from a great distance.

Beware the seagulls

From a distance, seagulls can seem like such innocent creatures. It’s always entertaining watching them hop around on the sand in their little flocks. It’s beautiful when they fly overhead just as the sun sets. But beware. They have a mean streak.

The lesson here is to be careful about bringing food to the beach. You’ll never know when the seagulls are going to attack. When that happens, you have no choice but to leave the food and save yourself. Then it’ll just be a waste of food.

Always wear sunscreen

Skincare experts are saying we need to use SPF every day, even if we’re indoors. If that’s the case, then we should probably always wear sunscreen at the beach, no matter how cloudy or cold it seems. Otherwise, we would end up like this person.

Sunburn is never fun. No matter how much aloe vera you use to try to combat it, it’s much too late if the damage has been done. Don’t be fooled by the weather. Always wear sunscreen and find shade when you can.

Inmate on the run

Sometimes you’re just innocently chilling on the beach, and you get involved in something that has nothing to do with you. Don’t believe us? Read the following tweet. This Tweeter just wanted some time to themselves but ended up being questioned by the cops.

This almost feels like the start of an unlikely duo movie where the inmate in question comes up to @GingerFrappucc1 and asks for help. Then they both get tangled in a cop chase across the city and end up having each others’ backs.

For the gram

It feels like the only reason people travel nowadays is to post cute photos on Instagram. Almost every travel destination gets free marketing from people posting and tagging their locations on social media. But it takes a lot of effort to achieve a cute gram photo.

In addition to making sure you’re dressed cute, you also have to make sure you literally don’t fall off your seat. We’re only six tweets in, and this is already the second Twitter user who has faceplanted at the beach.

A school of handbags

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when going to the beach is not to sit too close to the water. Of course, you can always take this risk. But the waves are so unpredictable, and they can sometimes wash away your belongings.

Imagine looking out into the sea and finding a school of handbags riding a wave and thinking, “That’s hilarious.” And then looking back to the spot where you put all your things down and not finding anything there. Whoops, guess you have to let go of those handbags.

Take it as a compliment

Well, we’re never complimenting anyone in any other way after seeing this tweet! The beach is always so busy in the summer that it’s easy to lose track of someone. Everyone’s in their bathing suits, which also makes it easy to mistake a stranger for someone we know.

“You gorgeous stack of pancakes” has quickly become our favorite compliment now. We are for sure saving it for an appropriate time. On another note, can you picture just how creeped out this woman must have been? This is a true #BeachFail.

“Sunscreen”

“Well, good morning, everyone. It’s Seagull here, making another appearance on #BeachFail!” This next one is a little icky, so scroll ahead if you’re easily queasy. Otherwise, read this tweet. But If you’re sticking around, then we’ve warned you!

This is the first of these tweets to make us go “EW!” the same way Jimmy Fallon’s Sara from The Tonight Show does. When did Dad realize it wasn’t sunscreen on his back? When he came home sunburnt, or when he started smelling bird droppings everywhere he walked?

Evening swim

This is precisely why people should not be swimming in the ocean in the dark! Nobody knows what’s under there. You may get stung by jellyfish, accidentally kick a seal, or get dragged to the depths by a great white shark.

First of all, who lands late at night after a long flight and thinks, “I’m gonna go for a swim in the ocean”? It’s terrifying enough to swim in the ocean when it’s light out. What makes swimming in the dark a good idea?

“I take a nap here”

That’s right. This little girl is serving us the “I take a nap here” Vine. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, you haven’t been on the internet long enough. Years ago, a little girl went viral for a Vine where she threw a tantrum at the beach.

The girl from the Vine also laid down on the sand and took a nap, much like the little girl from this tweet. But we understand why the man in this tweet was concerned. At a glance, it really looks like this little girl just got washed up on the shore.

Raft nap

Another place to fall asleep at the beach is on a raft. It might not be ideal for those of you with motion sickness. But this person seems to have been so tired that she pretty much passed out in her raft.

If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that the tides didn’t knock her off of her raft at any point. She managed to tweet about it, so she obviously made it back to the shore safely. We’re just hoping she didn’t get a bad sunburn from lying under the sun that long.

Laying on the course

It’s always a struggle to find a spot on the beach. Especially during a hot summer’s day, the odds of finding a spacious spot of sand to lie on are always against you. So when you find a huge stretch that’s completely empty, you immediately claim your spot.

Unfortunately for this Twitter user, the reason that space was empty was because it had to be. We’re just glad she didn’t get run over and that she made it out alive to tweet this! We’re also not jealous of her getting sand stuck all over her.

“Hell no, Grimace!”

Set-up dates are always a little awkward, but what kind of date isn’t? The best you can do is to be yourself and plan something fun to do. This guy started out right by planning a date at the beach. But what happened right before that was just unfortunate.

This girl really didn’t give him a chance. She could have at least walked over and asked what had happened. For all we know, she might have missed out on meeting the love of her life! For the guy, the lesson here is not to bring a new towel to the beach.

Rookie mistake

If you’re renting any sort of equipment for a water sport and have zero experience with it, you should probably get a few lessons in first. Otherwise, you’ll end up like this guy—in the middle of the ocean, right on the path of a ferry docking.

We’re getting secondhand embarrassment just from reading this tweet! Imagine having people scream down at you from a ferry, trying to teach you how to paddle out of the way. We don’t wish that kind of stress and embarrassment on anyone!

A case for Flat Earthers

We’re not sure if this counts as a beach fail or a photography fail. Either way, it’s still a form of fail, but it actually resulted in a pretty sick image. The panorama feature on the iPhone camera can come in clutch when traveling, but it does take precision.

If you’re not moving the camera in a precise way, at just the right speed, and at a constant angle, you’re going to get something that resembles this photo. We wouldn’t necessarily classify this as a fail. If anything, it could probably be used to prove the Flat Earthers right.

Making the most of the vacay

Nobody wants to go home after a beach vacation. The mundane realities of normal life just can’t compare to the relaxing times spent tanning next to the sea. So naturally, this wife convinced her husband to go for one more trip to the beach before they went home.

Well, it’s safe to say they should not have gone on that last beach trip. How the husband managed to get home alive is beyond us, considering Steve Irwin’s fate from his encounter with a stingray. It might have traumatized anyone from stepping on the sand any time soon.

Special ingredient

Eating and drinking at the beach isn’t as fun or glamorous as the films and the Instagrammers make it out to be. Why is that, you ask? Well, this little thing called Sand partnered with this other thing called The Wind.

Whether you’re having a barbecue at the beach, or sunset cocktails, or both, you’re bound to get a little sand on your plate or in your glass. Or in this dad’s case, a lot of sand. It’s certainly not the most hygienic place to be eating or drinking.

“She killed him!”

This tweet honestly started out pretty cute and innocent. This guy’s wife found Squirt from Finding Nemo, and a bunch of kids got really excited. Sadly though, the turtle was nowhere near as friendly as little Squirt. It bit her!

Okay, we know that she only dropped the turtle out of reflex. It bit her, what was she supposed to do? The turtle clearly wanted to be set free. If anything, it got what it wanted (hopefully). But kids being kids. They immediately labeled her a murderer.   

Thud

Bringing a baby anywhere is a hassle, but bringing a baby to the beach… well, that’s a whole other level. Parenting skills and teamwork really get tested there. This group had a good thing going by carrying the stroller on the sand.

But poor baby brother! His family was so busy trying to transport him safely in the stroller that they failed to notice that he was slowly slipping out of his seat. That’s why the stroller seat belt is important, moms!

False alarm, part 2

When you jump into the ocean, there’s always a risk of bumping into some predatorial creature under there. Of course, everyone’s scared that said creature would be a shark. But sometimes it’s a false alarm. In this Tweeter’s case, it’s an ocean sunfish.

It’s Trivia time, folks! The ocean sunfish is actually one of the world’s heaviest bony fishes, weighing up to a whopping 1,000kg! Its body is flat, and it often surfaces to sunbathe, which is why it has its name.

“Mine!”

The sea birds in Finding Nemo probably had something to do with the catastrophe of this next tweet. They have probably leveled up. No longer sitting around on rocks calling out, “MINE,” they are now swooping in and stealing food from people on the shore.

Exhibit A, this poor tweeter’s niece. All she wanted to do was enjoy a hot dog at the beach. Thanks to the seagull, all she had left was a bun. We want so bad to feel sorry for her, but you have to admit, this does read like a scene from a movie, and it is pretty funny.

Brotherly love

Oh, older brothers. They always have a prank up their sleeves. It’s almost like being born first immediately comes with prankster genes. This poor Twitter user spent all her childhood feeling like she wasn’t seeing clearly because of her brothers.

To make up for years and years of lying about the whales, these brothers should take their sisters whale watching. Then they all can enjoy seeing the whales together. Hopefully, the brothers were sensible and have done this already.

Fooling the dog

Sometimes getting a dog to go to the vet is like getting a toddler to eat his vegetables. The only way around it is if you trick them. You make veggie nuggets for the toddler, and you tell the dog you’re going to the beach.

Poor dog didn’t know what hit her! The mom came up with an elaborate lie that involved everyone in the house. Is this not just a little bit messed up? It’s doubly disappointing for the dog and the children.

Some idiot

Another risk of swimming in the ocean is losing valuables. Of course, we’re all smart enough not to actually jump in with things in our pockets, but if you’re on a boat in the middle of the sea, there’s still a chance you may accidentally drop things overboard.

We hope this guy’s friend managed to make it back in his house just fine. He probably shouldn’t have thrown the key away when he found it. Can’t be too cocky with these things! Also, how did he not realize they were his keys?

“Get me outta here!”

The beach isn’t a fun place for everyone. Some people would much rather be in the mountains, or by a river, or just straight up indoors. This person’s baby would clearly prefer to be in a nice air-conditioned room instead of out in the heat.

This is a pretty clever toddler if you asked us! He wanted to go home so much that he sent out an SOS to any choppers flying overhead. This is probably their cue to pack up and leave. They can go another day. The beach isn’t going anywhere.

Beach wedding fail

Beach weddings may be aesthetically pleasing. The photographs would look gorgeous, especially if it’s during golden hour. But what people don’t take into consideration is how sunscreen would affect those photos. If only there were sunscreen that was anti-flash back.

It would solve every pale girl’s problems. Then @BrittanyRhoad19 would probably not have ruined all of the wedding photos for the bride and groom. But hey. What’s done is done. You just gotta move on now. We can only hope they forgave her in time.

Knockoff 007

Jimmy Fallon himself shared his own #BeachFail experience on Twitter. Jimmy may be a celebrity, but he’s also just a regular guy like all of us. Like any husband, he just wanted to impress his wife at the beach.

Maybe Jimmy just wasn’t cut out to be James Bond. Let’s face it; nobody does it quite like Daniel Craig. And so, Jimmy ended up badly hurt trying to do a knockoff 007 at the beach. But the beautiful thing about love is it is not affected by these things! We’re sure his wife loves him despite the mishap.

Crash landing

There’s no question about it. When seagulls attack, you need to run. Leave the food, leave your belongings, leave your loved ones in the sand. Those birds are aggressive creatures, and you should do whatever you can to escape them.

Of course, running away from the wrath of seagulls can only save you if you manage to not run into anything else on the way. This guy landed “face-first into a guy’s crotch,” – which means he jumped out of the frying pan and straight into the fire.

Dog beach catastrophe

Well, can you expect anything less from a dog beach? It’s probably best not to lie on your front at places like this. The dogs will find any surface to do their business on! That’s why it’s called a dog beach.

At least this Twitter user’s fiancé can just go into the ocean to wash himself off? We know that doesn’t really do much in terms of cleanliness, but it will certainly help the situation. Next time, it’s best to just stay out of the way!

Wet t-shirt contest

Alright, slow your horses. This isn’t what you think it is. In fact, this particular tweet is one we wouldn’t classify as a beach fail. If anything, it sounds like a beach fun. Family vacations can be pretty boring, but this family found a way to make it entertaining.

This family tradition makes beach vacations with the extended family something to look forward to each year. What’s a family trip without a little poking fun at relatives? One thing’s for sure, while it’s hilarious, this is one tradition that will scar kids for life.

“I gotta pee!”

The only thing more entertaining than a beach vacation is a beach vacation with kids. Sure, they can be a little bit of a hassle with their tantrums and whining. But at the end of the day, their shenanigans are what make you laugh.

To be fair, this kid was just doing what his parents told him to. Lucky for him, he is just a kid, and people frown upon this behavior a lot less just because of that fact. Ultimately, he managed to relieve himself, and that’s what matters.

Traumatic first time

Your first experience with anything determines whether you will want to do it again or revisit the place. It’s crucial to your future decision-making process. For this Twitter user, her first time at the beach pretty much traumatized her for life.

Her parents probably thought, “She’s a kid—let her explore.” Well, that exploration lead to a mouth full of seawater and a jellyfish sting. If she didn’t visit the beach the next few years after that, we wouldn’t blame her one bit.

Man up

Yes, sometimes you need to just show kids how it’s done instead of walking them through how to do it. But for this dad, trying to demonstrate how to boogie board to his kid resulted in his own pain and embarrassment.

Well, safe to say this was indeed a beach fail. His kid didn’t learn how to boogie board, and he ended up badly hurt. It did not end in a win-win for anyone, and what was supposed to be a fun trip was ultimately a painful one.

Wearing the beach on his face

It’s always important to make sure that the children have plenty of sunscreen on the beach. They’re usually way too excited to even care, so sometimes you just have to sit them down and put sunscreen on them yourself.

This cute little baby probably had a little bit too much sunscreen on his face. So much so that sand stuck on every surface of his little face! Either the beach was too windy that day, or he just had too much fun playing with sand. But look, he still managed to smile for the camera.

Warning: sharks in the water

For anyone who might get easily queasy, this is a trigger warning. Please scroll to the next item. If you have the stomach for the following tweet, then be our guest and keep reading. This is basically a reminder not to dive into shark-infested waters.

You would think the warning sign would be enough to turn this group of beach-goers away. But nope. They decided to take the risk anyway. As a result, they had to face an unpleasant view. Safe to say, the entire beach trip was ruined.

Scarred for life

When traveling with the extended family, it’s probably best to go during family-friendly seasons. Christmas or New Year’s is always a good time to travel because that’s when families also go on vacation. Traveling during spring break should be reserved for friend groups only.

It’s safe to say grandma and grandpa were scarred for life. It must be difficult for them to wrap their heads around countless groups of rowdy drunk college students in bathing suits, dancing to music that is too loud and makes no sense!

In loving memory

This one is definitely not a fail, despite being tagged with #beachfail. This Twitter user just wants to relive the memory of her dad. Sometimes, we tend to miss the embarrassing things our loved ones do when they’re gone.

Back then, this person might not have appreciated her dad wearing white socks and sandals to the beach. She said it herself; she was embarrassed by it. But now that he’s gone, it’s all she wants to see. Maybe she should start wearing white socks and sandals to the beach to keep his memory alive.

Honesty is the best policy

Family vacations can be a little too much for some people, especially when they don’t necessarily get along with everyone. Sometimes the best way to get over this is just to be honest with each other. But of course, honesty only works in the right setting.

Maybe this dad shouldn’t have called the aunt out during a group meditation. It’s such a nice thing to do, meditating next to the sea, surrounded by nature. You wouldn’t want to ruin that good vibe with any unnecessary tension!

Out of place

We’ve heard of freshwater sharks, but we’ve never heard of saltwater crocodiles. It seems that this one croc has lost its way and found itself in the ocean. Now, who’s going to tell him that the swamp is the other way?

It’s probably a job for the coast guard or wildlife patrol. One thing’s for sure; this croc seems to feel right at home. He may not be in his natural habitat, but he’s vibing out just fine. It almost looks like he doesn’t want to go home.

Beach chair fail

Here are some of the possible scenarios that might explain what happened in the following photo. A) The child was throwing a tantrum and took it out on the beach chair. B) The family was on the sand, and someone accidentally dropped the beach chair on him, or…

C) The kid was lounging on the beach chair enjoying himself when the chair folded up against itself. Which one do you think happened? Or do you have another idea of what might have occurred here? We still need someone to explain it to us.

They found our stash

What did we say about seagulls and food? Way too many people have suffered at the hands of seagulls at the beach. These girls hid their snacks, and even then, the seagulls still found their stash! There really is no keeping anything from them.

Somebody should try burying their snacks in the sand. If that works, they should tweet about it as a PSA for everyone else. There must be a way to get around these greedy birds. This trick would save everyone on the beach.

Enjoying it too much

This is why dog beaches exist. Little Roxy here enjoyed the beach a little too much. It’s always great to see dogs loving their time outdoors, especially if they’ve been cooped up inside of the house for a long while.

Oh, Roxy. You’re not supposed to take a dump in the ocean! It’s only okay if you did number 1. We can’t imagine the strangers at the beach looking at the dog—a little judgmental, a little amused. Despite her crime, we can’t help but still love Roxy anyway.

Jaws beach

Honestly, people should do their research before driving down to any beach. If the internet says it’s a shark-infested territory, it’s probably not worth going. But of course, some people don’t prepare prior, and some are willing to take the risk anyway.

We don’t know what these two ended up doing about their trip. But they obviously made it out alive to tweet this photo! If you’re an animal lover and an adrenaline junkie, then maybe Cape Cod is the beach for you.