When you play coastal engineer on TikTok, Mother Nature claps back, and so does the comments section.
A video showing a group of surfers manually connecting a freshwater river to the ocean caused a wave of backlash online.
@whoisjob Fresh Water DESTROYED this Beach!!😨
♬ original sound - Jamie O'Brien
In the video, a small trench that the surfers dug in the sand rapidly evolves into a rushing channel, sending freshwater from a river barreling into the ocean.
"It's getting bigger and bigger," says one of the people in the video. "This is gonna be some crazy coastal erosion right now."
By the end, the once-intact beach is split in two.
"You can't get to the other side anymore," says another person as the tide rushes in and the surfers take the opportunity to ride those waves.
The consequences of such actions aren't just temporary or aesthetic. They can have serious environmental impacts.
Altering the flow of freshwater into the ocean can damage delicate ecosystems, introduce sediment and pollutants into marine habitats, and accelerate beach erosion that puts wildlife and nearby communities at risk.
This is especially concerning at a time when many coastal regions are struggling with rising sea levels and stronger storm surges linked to climate change.
Coastal management experts have long warned against unpermitted beach trenching or river cutting, which may seem harmless but can destabilize the shoreline, impact native species, and compromise conservation efforts that take years to plan and implement.
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Definitely 🙁 Outrage in the comments sections was fast and furious.
"This causes so much damage idk why people do this," said one commenter.
Another added, "Dirtied the ocean, killed the fish, destroyed the beach, and contaminated the freshwater with salt."
A third said, "You just don't do this whether it's illegal or not you don't mess with things in nature that don't need to be messed with."
Tampering with natural systems, regardless of how fun it may appear, can have lasting consequences. To help mitigate these damaging situations, you can learn more about local climate action and how to protect nearby beaches.
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