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Officials in South Florida are begging visitors to stop a dangerous new trend popping up along its sandy beaches.
Police officers, local officials and even some residents are asking beachgoers to stop leaving behind giant holes in the sand, per NBC 2. According to Sanibel Mayor Holly Smith, the giant pits are part of a new TikTok trend challenging people to see how deep they can dig. While she doesn't have a problem with people digging into the sand on their trip to the beach, she asks that they fill in the holes before they leave.
Allison Ward walks along the beach every morning and nearly fell into a hole, some of which have been reported to be around 5 feet deep.
"I've seen indentations, but I've never seen holes like this before," said Ward, adding, "I found four holes, but two of them were especially deep."
Marco Island Police have also warned against the trend, sharing a photo of one such hole on Twitter and pointing out the potential dangers that could happen as a result of the unfilled pits.
"If you're digging to make a sandcastle or, in the case of this image a place to toss your shovel in! Please refill the hole and kindly take your things with you," the department wrote. "It's a hazard to other beachgoers, especially our beautiful sea turtles."
Not only could the deep pits pose a danger to other unsuspecting beachgoers who may injure themselves tripping over or falling into the holes, but they also affect the habitat of local sea turtles, the news outlet reports.
"We have moms on the beach at night. We have babies going to the water at night," said Kelly Sloan, coastal wildlife director at the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation. "They face so many threats already. This is one small thing we can all do to help them."