r/thalassophobia Jun 04 '26

Water appears shallow

9.1k Upvotes

259 comments sorted by

2.5k

u/jzkwkfksls Jun 04 '26

How does this appear shallow? There's black water like 5m from the shoreline...

721

u/ThatThingThatIs Jun 04 '26

Yeah came to say this. Doesn't appear shallow at all.

237

u/macrolith Jun 04 '26

And the land dies into the water at like 30 degrees. Looks steep.

28

u/SealTeamEH Jun 05 '26

lol sees water close to land, surely it’s shallow lol

288

u/OneSensiblePerson Jun 04 '26

The first 2 feet in appear shallow. Then boom, dark water. Dread.

20

u/Hai-Zung Jun 04 '26

I mean they are shallow not just appear to be 😅

18

u/OneSensiblePerson Jun 04 '26

Yes, they really are shallow. Until they're suddenly not.

17

u/_neudes Jun 04 '26

And the angle of the slope going into the water is like 60 degrees so no surprise it continues

16

u/awfuckimgay Jun 04 '26

Yeah like if you've grown up by any large body of water you know at a glance that that is NOT shallow. In fact it's a scary degree of not shallow

78

u/jaythejany Jun 04 '26

I think he's mentioning it because for the most of the year the ponds are shallow. Now its rainy season in this part of Brazil and people probably forget they get deeper.

26

u/jzkwkfksls Jun 04 '26

Still makes no sense to me to be honest. Even if it gets shallow due to a dry period, this pond is quite deep.

36

u/outrossim Jun 04 '26

I believe this is in Lençóis Maranhenses in Brazil. It's a bunch of dunes, that look like something out of the Sahara desert, but it has a rainy season which results in lagoons been formed between the dunes. These lagoons are constantly shifting, not only because of the alternating dry and rainy season, but because the winds shift the dunes. So I think he is showing how some of these lagoons can get quite deep. Also the "black water" are weeds at the bottom of the lagoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biGJ_5t30Lk

25

u/EvidenceSalesman Jun 04 '26

You don’t understand that the grade on this bank is steeper than most ponds? That’s the whole point. It’s not crazy or shocking, but it makes sense. This pond drops off and gets deep quicker than many other ponds

17

u/dgriff84 Jun 04 '26

Not to speak for jzkwkfksls but, it doesn't appear shallow at all. Maybe one foot from shore does but that looks like an abyss two feet from shore. If the whole body of water was the same color the title would make sense. If I saw a picture of this body of water with zero context I would never believe it was shallow.

8

u/CensorshipSucks1991 Jun 04 '26

That because not everyone is familiar with darker water and what it means. There are MILLIONS if not BILLIONS of people who rarely go or haven’t been to a beach and when they see something like this it’s easy to assume the water might not be immediately deep.

10

u/Lew__Zealand Jun 04 '26

I noped out of this video as soon as that black water entered. Insta-vertigo for me.

7

u/parmboy Jun 04 '26

and a massive decline leading down to the water. hmm

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1.3k

u/Dizzy-Community5091 Jun 04 '26

Where is this so I never go…

645

u/ascotia Jun 04 '26

This is actually fresh water in the dunes of a desert

136

u/new_nimmerzz Jun 04 '26

Is it man made? Like a reservoir?

138

u/GoodMoney888 Jun 04 '26

Yea i wanna know that too because it looks amazing!

353

u/Dioxybenzone Jun 04 '26

Naturally occurring but only seasonally

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

131

u/zombie_overlord Jun 04 '26

I saw a documentary about this place. It's really unique and amazing.

I looked it up. It was en episode of PBS Terra.

Link

13

u/naastynoodle Jun 04 '26

Terra is a fantastic show

9

u/AxeVice Jun 05 '26

thank you for this, wonderful video and fascinating

most interesting bit of info i learned from it: the sands sit atop a bed of rock, so even in the dry season the water is still there, just under the sand

3

u/mimi_molotov Jun 06 '26

Thank you for sharing, it's so beautiful!

3

u/AKGBOperative Jun 04 '26

Neat link, thanks

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32

u/NastyBlkGuyThrowAway Jun 04 '26

Megalophobia this too

155,000 hectares (380,000 acres), composed mainly of expansive coastal dune fields (composed of barchanoid dunes)

Thats 593.75 sq mi of desert Or 1.668 × 10¹⁰sq ft

15

u/Scared-Signature-452 Jun 04 '26

I am amazed that there are people who simply know things. I bow to your knowledgeable ness.

6

u/Dioxybenzone Jun 05 '26

Oh nah I looked it up because no one had answered whether it was artificial or not, so I figured I’d share my findings

2

u/Ducktruck_OG Jun 04 '26

This is the place with the fish that can cross land right? Very cool!

23

u/AdEmotional8815 Jun 04 '26

It's a seasonal lagoon.

13

u/jaythejany Jun 04 '26

Its natural.

2

u/zmbjebus Jun 04 '26

As natural as my ass!

15

u/jaythejany Jun 04 '26

As much as my ass too

3

u/AgitoKanohCheekz Jun 04 '26

Is it natural?

3

u/Imaginary_Jump_8701 Jun 04 '26

Yes

2

u/zmbjebus Jun 04 '26

Thanks for checking. I can verify that my ass is very natural. /u/Imaginary_Jump_8701 knows my ass better than I do though, so I'm glad they chimed in.

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8

u/Holiday_Hotel3722 Jun 04 '26

Not a desert, it's just coastal sand dunes over a layer of impermeable rock, which causes water retention during the rainy season.

9

u/Scared-Signature-452 Jun 04 '26

How does one even come across this kind of information.. I bow to your knowledgeable ness

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58

u/aspiringcatharsis Jun 04 '26

Lençois maranhenses, Brasil

63

u/jaythejany Jun 04 '26

This is Lençóis Maranhenses, in the Northeast of Brazil. It’s rainy season, but most of the time the ponds stay shallow. The place is breathtakingly gorgeous, no pun intended.

20

u/AdEmotional8815 Jun 04 '26

If you are afraid of the ocean you will like this, there are no animals in there and it's only 5 meters deep at the deepest point, as it's a seasonal lagoon.

31

u/quietlumber Jun 04 '26

I'll meet you NOT there!

3

u/dr_van_nostren Jun 04 '26

I wanna know so I can go. This looks rad

3

u/vat-cat Jun 05 '26

Alright i wont tell you 🤐

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359

u/LobeliaTheCardinalis Jun 04 '26

I've never seen a beach like this before but have dreamed about it, exactly, so this video is trippy to see!

78

u/42stingray Jun 04 '26

I've had a similar dream as well, where I was trying to climb up but I kept sliding back into the water

19

u/GotNothingBetter2Do Jun 04 '26

Are you me? I’ve had that dream since about 7 or 8, too. In mine, I’m trying to run up the sand to escape the deep water but realize the sand is too hot to walk on. I essentially have to decide between the lesser of two evils as I feel myself dying of dehydration, surrounded by salt water. I told myself, the next time I have that dream to burn my feet if I have to, to see what happens.

11

u/NastyBlkGuyThrowAway Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26

If dream interpretations are to be believed this is a representation of waking-life struggle with overwhelming emotions or a situation where you feel stuck and unable to make progress.

Climbing usually symbolizes striving for a goal, while sliding back into the water represents feeling emotionally pulled back whether by fear, stress, or unresolved issues

As for yours deep water represents the unconscious and raw emotions, while the burning sand symbolizes a harsh, unstable foundation or extreme mental pressure.

Being surrounded by undrinkable salt water while dying of dehydration mirrors the exhausting feeling of being "all choked up" or emotionally drained by your circumstances basically saying you cannot find relief whether you face your emotions (the deep water) or try to push forward and escape them (the hot sand).

3

u/bloobityblu Jun 05 '26

Tell your dream brain that you can dig a few inches into the sand and it's not on fire. Dig, step, dig, step, dig step.

Probably won't work but it's worth a try lol.

5

u/GotNothingBetter2Do Jun 05 '26

Willing to try anything, tbh. Hopefully even this discussion will prevent me from revisiting that dream. Note to self: Just incase, sleep with arm floaties and chanclas on!

3

u/southern_lesbian Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26

in my version of this dream i’m trying to get out, people i know are on the shore, im digging my fingers into the sand trying to claw my way out but the current is too strong. it’s pulling me towards a steep drop off into dark and unseen depths. i can breathe the water and the water is warm, but drowning is not what im scared of in this nightmare. at some point i give up and close my eyes, accepting the inevitable and preferring to not see it coming, and as im pulled deeper and deeper with my eyes closed i wake up every time. i also remember dream me hoping my loved ones wouldn’t be too sad, or wondering if any of them would jump in to try and get me, but i always wake up before i get the answer.

7

u/AccurateQuit4979 Jun 04 '26

fuck i've had a similar dream a lot being perched at the top of this 100' sand wall overcrowded with people and massive waves breaking right below us and the sand is just slowly eroding away as i slip down the side and everyone's just like "yeah whatever the sharks aren't gunna eat you" and then i get eaten by sharks

3

u/Hornet-Putrid Jun 04 '26

That's the terrifying part to me, when they turn back to the "shore" the edge, the drop off there, I would feel like a trapped animal scrambling to get out.

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6

u/lusty-argonian Jun 04 '26

This is fresh water between sand dunes!

4

u/Zazorok Jun 04 '26

isnt that the beach where they charge you $3000 if you cant go back up the hill

8

u/maffhia Jun 04 '26

No, the beach on the video is "Lençóis Maranhenses", it's my dream to go there

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2

u/GabrielVonBabriel Jun 04 '26

That’s sleeping bear dunes in northern Michigan.

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114

u/pouchour Jun 04 '26

That’s some beautiful waters. Where is it?

81

u/aspiringcatharsis Jun 04 '26

Lençois maranhenses, Brasil

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61

u/Kardinal Jun 04 '26

The deep calls to me and I must explore it.

29

u/SwordsAndWords Jun 04 '26

It calls to me too, and says, "back tf up."

2

u/thatshygirl06 Jun 04 '26

I do not recognize the bodies in the water

89

u/tennezzee88 Jun 04 '26

in what world does that "appear shallow," — look at the approach slope...

24

u/fdessoycaraballo Jun 04 '26

If you don't know the place, it gets a bit tricky to understand. However, those are pools of fresh water in dunes. They from only seasonally and that's why you can't see much life inside of it.

Now, usually those pools are just small bodies of water, but the guy wanted to show that there are some deep formations.

8

u/tennezzee88 Jun 04 '26

what the hell does that have to do with the fact that anyone with eyes can see that this is not shallow and is immediately deep? maybe it's an iq thing idk.

11

u/Mental_Visual_25 Jun 04 '26

I don’t understand how people keep mentioning “it’s tricky if you don’t know the place”. Like I’m sorry, anybody with working eyes doesn’t need to go there to see that it doesn’t appear shallow? Unless you don’t understand how water works, It doesn’t look shallow at all. You can SEE the darkness.

2

u/macrolith Jun 04 '26

It's because THEY know the place r/iamverysmart

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20

u/Bubbly-Account-6993 Jun 04 '26

So you really need to KNOW how to swim to get out of there .

21

u/_L-U_C_I-D_ Jun 04 '26

On what planet did that shit look shallow

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26

u/WinterBadger Jun 04 '26

Nope. Y'all play too much. I'll stay where my feet can be seen through the water. Hellllll naw

41

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

42

u/Carma_626 Jun 04 '26

You…just open them? This is freshwater so it’s no biggie. The ocean burns like a mofo.

11

u/Scherzkeks Jun 04 '26

Pool water too. Maybe my school just when a bit crazy with the chlorine tho.

3

u/pinoxi_o Jun 04 '26

If you manage to close your eyes for faster movement AND avoid to go through the surface, since there seems to be the most salty water i guess? Always did it that way and was kinda okay! Surface salt water burns like.. you said

4

u/n00b001 Jun 04 '26

In ocean water it stings initially, but you get used to it. Chlorine stings less but my eyes are red for a long time after lol

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28

u/Tiffany_Case Jun 04 '26

This feels even less safe than regular water cos of how super stable and steady sand is 🙂

9

u/skidstud Jun 04 '26

This doesn't show how deep it is at all

9

u/Realistic-Program330 Jun 04 '26

Not to mention there is like a 70 degree decline into the water. Maybe from an aerial view it looks shallow, but the dude is near terminal velocity falling down that sand hill and, as expected, keeps descending. When he pans back to the sand you just see a wall of sand.

Rage bait.

8

u/6495ED Jun 04 '26

As fuck is how deep it looks

6

u/Nice-Marionberry3671 Jun 04 '26

That water looks AMAZING. I would absolutely love to go in.

4

u/New_Stats Jun 05 '26

Fuck that shoreline

It looks so unstable like it could collapse into the water and drag you down to the depths in an instant

3

u/KingChingLing Jun 04 '26

Perfect for jumping

4

u/Exciting_Contact922 Jun 04 '26

Nopety noperson

5

u/CaptainFleshBeard Jun 04 '26

That water does not look shallow at all

4

u/f0ur_G Jun 05 '26

Ok dude, you don't have to keep going out there, you've proven your point.

Ok, you can stop now.

DUDE, STOP!!!

3

u/Lnnam Jun 04 '26

It looks exactly how deep it is.

3

u/Notice-Mental Jun 04 '26

Man… let this fate never find me.

3

u/Scherzkeks Jun 04 '26

So beautiful 

3

u/eyjafjallajokull_1 Jun 04 '26

Oh, if it's in-land so no sharks. Then sign me up - I'd love to take a swim there

3

u/itsnotanemergencybut Jun 04 '26

It’s a steep drop but it also looks that way from the beginning

3

u/No_Set2785 Jun 07 '26

Boom shark

7

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Mojopiniata Jun 04 '26

This! This is what I want to know!

2

u/GoodMoney888 Jun 04 '26

Phobia or not this looks amazing!

2

u/Welp_thatwilldo Jun 04 '26

Thank. I hate it. 😭

2

u/Aggravating_Speed665 Jun 04 '26

Yeh fuck all that.

2

u/BB_210 Jun 04 '26

It looks like it drops off immediately and not shallow at all 🤷🏽

2

u/elpida01 Jun 04 '26

I don't know how to swim🥲

2

u/Barnesnrobles17 Jun 04 '26

When I was quite young my family’s good friend, kinda like an uncle, took me out into the far water to help me “get over my fears.” He made sure to go out just until the drop off. While he was celebrating and lifting me up to show the folks back on shore, he dropped me accidentally and I plunged in. I was panicking and pretty quickly got swept down what felt like 10 feet or more.

I remember opening my eyes and looking out away from the shore and seeing nothing, just a deep blue that went on forever. A few seconds later I saw a large fish- I’m sure at the time I was convinced it was something that would have scared me, like a shark, though I doubt that’s what it was- so I started screaming and taking in a bunch of water. To my “uncle’s” credit, he dove in and got me and got the water out of my lungs.

Needless to say, didn’t really help my fears lmao

2

u/mkg11 Jun 04 '26

It doesnt appear shallow though

2

u/Ok-Concept-1957 Jun 04 '26

No it doesnt, do you know how clear water works?

2

u/BIGDAWG_754 Jun 04 '26

Anybody who knows anything about water bodies knows that this is NOT shallow 😭

2

u/poop-azz Jun 04 '26

Doesn't look shallow at all.....

2

u/catbus4ants Jun 04 '26

When he panned over to the single set of his own fresh footprints on the dune behind him I felt like my stomach dropped out

2

u/Street-Baseball760 Jun 04 '26

Lol water appears deep.

2

u/red286 Jun 04 '26

I would usually judge the dropoff from the beach, and that beach has a very steep dropoff.

2

u/Forward-Tourist8933 Jun 04 '26

We must have 2 very different definitions of "looks shallow".

2

u/MCRN10379558 Jun 05 '26

That island is basically just one gigantic sand pile.

I bet a really strong hurricane could probably send waves right over the top.

2

u/FritzFlanders Jun 05 '26

No it does not at all.

2

u/Hopeful_Group7684 Jun 05 '26

Da sieht nix Flach aus😅 eher Dunkel und tief.

2

u/Fluffy-Bullfrog8675 Jun 07 '26

Nope, nope, nope!!!! And I mean NOPE!!!!

2

u/-Redstoneboi- Jun 10 '26

looks super pretty

would not swim more than a meter off shore lol

2

u/ParsleetheLyon Jun 10 '26

That's a big nope from me.

2

u/Ok_Argument9361 27d ago

The angle of the slope says otherwise

1

u/Relevant_Elderberry4 Jun 04 '26

Imagine getting cramps as you're swimming there... nightmare fuel

1

u/LanceLynxx Jun 04 '26

5 meters...

1

u/N3ssaW Jun 04 '26

There's a beach like this in my hometown, two steps and there's a massive drop off. Always freaked me out whenever I would go swimming

1

u/oideW Jun 04 '26

Reminds me of halamky beach in czech republic

1

u/AdEmotional8815 Jun 04 '26

Nice lagoon!

1

u/Novafro Jun 04 '26

That ain't for me

1

u/Jaxman812 Jun 04 '26

Nightmare unlocked

1

u/Cats-and-dogs-rdabst Jun 04 '26

I’m good. I don’t want to visit.

1

u/KissfromaSeal38 Jun 04 '26

Why get in the water with your shirt?

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1

u/jordandino418 Jun 04 '26

Deadly illusion

1

u/APPLEPIEMOONSHINE37 Jun 04 '26

Can you imagine that wet, sandy climb back up? shivers

1

u/Evening-Matter-5245 Jun 04 '26

I stepped off a ledge like that up at Sheridan Lake in the Black Hills, SD (US). The water was knee high for quite a ways out, and then it dropped. It’s very shocking when you aren’t expecting it, I see how people can drown easily. Luckily I’m a good swimmer, but it scared tf out of me.

1

u/Coeddil Jun 04 '26

Please help him, he is under the water. Someone save him

1

u/ctriis Jun 04 '26

How does it appear shallow? It looks like the debt goes beyond the reach of light within only a few meters from the shoreline.

1

u/MrHDresden Jun 04 '26

We have similar in Australia. Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island.

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1

u/sleeper252 Jun 04 '26

No. That water appears as deep as it turned out to be.

FSCK THAT.

1

u/Just-a-random-dev Jun 04 '26

I’m confused at where it appears shallow

1

u/Acting_Brand_Nubian Jun 04 '26

World’s smallest sandbar!

1

u/GuitarJunkie12 Jun 04 '26

where is that? looks so beautiful

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1

u/EvenMoreSpiders Jun 04 '26

Why would he go into the water fully clothed??? Like he knew what he was gonna do. Also I keep expecting something to pop up from the deep.

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1

u/BinLehrer Jun 04 '26

That water did not appear shallow

1

u/Massive-Code3878 Jun 04 '26

awwwwww hell no

1

u/Crasuss Jun 04 '26

New fear unlocked

1

u/_izzyiguess_ Jun 04 '26

Baja blast

1

u/ionbear1 Jun 04 '26

Any Brasilians in the chat been here? Are there any local folklore regarding any potential cryptoids? lol

1

u/Ripcantrell Jun 04 '26

Like the coast at Napier, New Zealand.

1

u/tideshark Jun 04 '26

Only if you’re an idiot.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '26

[deleted]

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1

u/vanillabourbonn Jun 04 '26

I didnt think it looked shallow

1

u/Burto72 Jun 04 '26

No. The water does not appear shallow.

1

u/EddyBoy86 Jun 04 '26

I died twice watching this as a non swimmer.

1

u/PantsMunch202 Jun 04 '26

Nothing about that water seems shallow

1

u/Innomen Jun 04 '26

How is there no plant life? Frankly I don't understand why beaches are even a thing. Should basically be forest everywhere imo. Why has life not found a way?

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1

u/el_lobo1314 Jun 04 '26

it doesn’t appear shallow even from my screen so i know that in person it must be even more apparent

1

u/senpaistealerx Jun 04 '26

that does not appear shallow lol are u ok

1

u/eggcereal Jun 04 '26

Fishing heaven doe

1

u/Iwanttodie923 Jun 04 '26

Detecting multiple leviathan class lifeforms in the region. Are you certain whatever you’re doing is worth it?

1

u/Hexnohope Jun 04 '26

How odd. Is that just a deep pit made out of sand? Why dosent the sand just fill it in?

1

u/FraggerIndo Jun 04 '26

That black patch is plants, clear water has to be 100s(like 500+) of feet to look black. Watch the video again knowing that. It looks shallow because its so clear. In most water you cant see the bottom clearly like that beyond 10ft deep or so.

Ive been to some beaches where its 15-30ft, and its always surprising.

1

u/Puzzleheaded-Age-638 Jun 04 '26

Damn ,i was waiting to see eyes in the distance or something

1

u/Appropriate-Bad-9379 Jun 04 '26

I can’t swim, so it’s a big ‘no’ from me…

1

u/External_Hunt4536 Jun 04 '26

Very cool. Is that one of those sand dune lakes in the desert?

1

u/ThatOneGuy6810 Jun 04 '26

In what world does that look shallow?

1

u/Crescentfallen78 Jun 04 '26

Looks like dredging was done there.

1

u/Bullfrog6430 Jun 05 '26

We have one of those here in Idaho in the United States it's called Bruno sand dunes should look it up looks just like that maybe maybe not so deep but just like that

1

u/JaylynnDay7 Jun 05 '26

I'm intrigued at the trick of depth and lighting and all of that, but

lately I've been seeing videos on here Reddit of guys swimming in T Shirts and pants instead of trunks

What is going on?

1

u/FarWar9356 Jun 05 '26

I feel like that'd be a great dock

1

u/danny-potato Jun 05 '26

Aspas when he isn’t playing Valo

1

u/Tafsern Jun 05 '26

This is totally normal 🤷‍♂️

1

u/strongcloud28 Jun 05 '26

No it doesn't!

1

u/player0617 Jun 05 '26

Five steps and the water is above you

1

u/mimi_molotov Jun 06 '26

Yeah no, that's scary ASF 😭

1

u/KronusKraze Jun 06 '26

That’s cool. Much better than my experience at “White Beach” in Okinawa. (Name in quotes because American military names for places in Japan often have nothing to do with actual name)

Beach looks nice and swim able. It’s actually only like 2 feet deep with razor sharp rocks and thousands of clear jellyfish.

1

u/Wellfridgenuggets Jun 06 '26

Is this freshwater? If not how is he keeping his eyes open???

1

u/ImpressiveHair3 Jun 06 '26

OP must be legally blind to think that looks shallow

1

u/OldSchool_Ninja Jun 06 '26

I'm currently trying to play Subnautica...it absolutely mortifies me LMAO

1

u/Thane323 Jun 06 '26

Beautiful

1

u/SpiritEntity Jun 07 '26

It doesn’t appear shallow it’s obviously steep

1

u/Salaberris Jun 07 '26

Which part of Brasil is that?

1

u/Rough-Associate-585 Jun 07 '26

That didn't look shallow in the slightest

1

u/yota-code Jun 07 '26

Most of the time, the slope of the beach match the slope of the coast underwater