Video: Black bear goes for a swim on Florida beach

DESTIN, Fla. - Beachgoers in the Florida panhandle got quite the shock on Sunday when they spotted a black bear taking a dip on the Emerald Coast. 

A black bear was spotted swimming next to people on a sunny day at a crowded beach in Destin, Florida.

Video taken by Chris Barron shows the bear walking out of the ocean next to beachgoers.

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Barron said the bear was swimming right beside his brother and 12-year-old son.

A black bear was spotted on a Destin beach over the weekend. 

"The bear was out pretty far," Barron explained. "A lot of people started swimming in. I was worried it was a shark. I walked over and thought it was a dog."

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"At this point I realized it was a bear and started videoing. It kept swimming in. He got to shore, shook off, and ran into the brush in the sand dunes," Barron added. "I think most people were shocked instead of being scared. No one expected to see a bear in the Gulf of Mexico."