A video posted by ABC News of stingrays swimming near the Florida coast recently went viral, after Twitter users became more intrigued by a different type of sea creature in the clip – an incredibly-sunburned Florida beachgoer.
The drone footage was recorded by Michael J McCarthy from See Through Canoe, capturing the eerily rare occurrence of graceful eagle stingrays amongst beachgoers in the shallow waters of St Petersburg, Florida. It was first posted onto Twitter by ABC News, with the caption similarly focusing on the stingrays in the video:
However, Twitter users found their attention diverted to the sunburned man in the bottom right-hand corner of the video, quickly transforming the unsuspecting purplish/red beachgoer into an object of humour. Comments varied from theories as to what amount of sun exposure could have possibly caused this inhuman skin colour, jokes which compared the man to various red-hued beings (“lobster” and “Hellboy” among the most common nicknames), to declarations of genuine concern for the beachgoer’s health.
Some more creative responses compared the man to a “fried bologna sandwich”, the Kool-Aid Man, and stubborn comic crusader Hellboy. Others noted that the man appeared on the verge of bursting into flames, with one user drily commenting: “Good thing he’s in the water. Otherwise I would assume he would’ve already burst into flames.” A pinker, burnt Guy Fieri, if you will.
In classic meme fashion, the sunburnt swimmer was also likened to a classic Spongebob character, “Larry the lobster.” I myself thought of “Spongebob” upon first witnessing the footage, believing that the man was a human incarnation of Spongebob’s pink best friend, Patrick Star. Further images lend themselves to the mind easily. A scoop of raspberry sorbet, perhaps. Or a brightly-coloured pool float.
The man’s fluorescent pink sheen also suggests images of garish warning signs or colourful beach buoys, all things that are meant to be spotted in the ocean. In that sense, the sunburn is actually quite impressive, acting as a tool for ocean safety. Whether the man intended to reach that purple-pink shade of red, or if he will have to smother copious amounts of aloe on himself to soothe his skin, one thing is certain. There’s no danger of him being lost at sea with skin that bright.
For more distinctive Florida news, click here to read about the Florida man touring reopened beaches as the Grim Reaper.
Featured image via: Michael J McCarthy/Storyful.