TikTok trend leaves giant holes on beaches

SANIBEL, Fla. (WBBH) - People living in parts of southwest Florida are not happy with a new TikTok trend that is leaving giant holes on beaches.

Making castles and digging holes is what the beach is all about, but leaving colossal craters is not.

“I almost fell in one,” Allison Ward said.

You might fall in one too if you are looking for shells or taking a midnight walk under the stars in Sanibel, Florida.

These holes are not what you would typically expect to see. They are up to five feet deep and four feet wide.

“I’ve seen indentations, but I’ve never seen holes like this before,” Ward said.

She says she spotted holes last week and again on Monday.

“I found four holes, but two of them were especially deep.” Ward said.

It took the power of the Sanibel Public Works team to get them patched up.

“When we’re looking at the depth and size of some of these holes that we’ve found on the beach, this wasn’t just really a sandcastle,” Sanibel Mayor Holly Smith said.

The same holes are being found on Marco Island, Florida.

The police department posted a photo of one on Twitter.

“There was some TikTok challenges saying ‘How deep can you dig?” Smith said.

Ward says she does not care if people want to dig holes as long as they fill them before they leave.

The holes are also a danger for turtles.

“We have moms on the beach at night. We have babies going to the water at night. They face so many threats already. This is one small thing we can all do to help them,” Coastal Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan said.

Smith says if you dig a hole, “fill it back in.”