Driver caught on video attempting reckless beach stunt as tide rushes in: 'So ridiculous'

A Facebook page dedicated to tourons — a combination of "tourists" and "morons" — recently shared a video that had viewers shaking their heads in bewilderment.

"Don't drive on the beach at high tide," the caption read. "The tide came up and he drove right into it."

In the clip, the driver can be seen doing doughnuts — spinning a vehicle in tight circles — in the sand on the Oregon coast before sliding into an oncoming wave and getting stuck. They had to be towed out, according to the post.

Don't drive on the beach at high tide. Smh this guy was doing cookies then the tide came up and he drove right into it, getting the women in whites, car stuck and had to be towed out.
Posted by Jill Heltne on Friday 28 March 2025

Viewers were both amused and horrified at the recklessness. "Why why why?!!" one person said. "So ridiculous!!" Another wrote, "This really is impressively stupid."

Fortunately, no person was harmed, but this serves as a reminder that the unpredictability of nature doesn't mix well with rash, careless behavior.

Other tourons have been seriously injured, and some have even died, after ignoring clearly posted rules. In 2016, a man at Yellowstone National Park who left a safe boardwalk to swim illegally in a hot spring fell into a boiling, acidic spring, which killed him. Similarly, people drown, tumble off cliffs, and are attacked by animals in parks around the world. And while some of these deaths are tragic accidents, many could have been avoided with smarter decision-making.

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Frustratingly, the consequences reverberate. Tourons frequently destroy fragile areas of ecosystems by wandering beyond designated areas; some people go as far as to drive across protected fields or even carve their names into coral reefs. This damage can have a lasting impact, affecting flora, fauna, and people.

In some cases, animals that interact with humans — even when a human provoked the interaction and nobody was hurt — are euthanized as a preventive measure, to avoid the animals' becoming acclimated to people. This is heartbreaking for locals and others who maintain a healthy respect for and seek to coexist with their wild neighbors.

Being a touron is expensive, too — but not just for the touron. When they get injured or stuck, as one commenter pointed out, "Then our first responders have to help them with our tax dollars."

Should tourists be responsible for cleaning up their own trash?

Absolutely 👏