(WSVN) - The residents of Sanibel are not happy with a new TikTok trend. The community said it threatens their own safety, including animal life, with massive holes being left behind by social media influencers.
Some beachgoers enter the water when they visit the seaside while others may get creative in the sand.
“You come and you make castles [and] you dig holes,” said Mayor Holly Smith.
Building sculptures in the sand is common at the beach, but leaving hand-carved castles that leave behind colossal craters is not taken fondly.
Allison Ward spotted crater-like pits last week and Monday morning. “I almost fell in one,” she said.
Thanks to a new TikTok challenge, locals across Southwest Florida saw holes that resemble shafts up to five feet deep and four feet wide.
The “how far can you dig” challenge is believed to endanger human life and wildlife.
“I’ve seen indentations, but I’ve never seen holes like this before,” said Ward. “I found four holes, but two of them were especially deep.”
It took the power of Sanibel’s public works team to get them patched up.
“When we’re looking at the depth and size of some of these holes that we’ve found on the beach, this wasn’t just really a sandcastle,” said Mayor Smith
The same was seen on the beaches of Marco Island after the police department posted this picture on Twitter.
Look at the shovel for an idea of how big this hole actually is.
“There were some TikTok challenges saying ‘how deep can you dig,'” said the mayor.
Their concern is not the indulgence of the activity, but rather, the ditches left behind.
“I don’t care if they dig to China, just fill it in before they leave,” said Ward.
New-born turtles are also affected by this sandy pursuit as they are known to hatch and make their way into the ocean overnight.
Coastal Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan encouraged people to fill the holes they dig to keep children safe.
“We have moms on the beach at night,” said Sloan. “We have babies going to the water at night. They face so many threats already. This is one small thing we can all do to help them.”
Local officials and police are now asking anyone who digs holes, no matter the size, to fill them after for the safety of humans and turtles.
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