Florida tourists shocked to find they are rescuing a BEAR from the sea - and not a large dog

Florida tourists have been left shocked after discovering they were rescuing a black bear from the sea - and not a large dog.

Vacationers in the Panhandle city of Destin were stunned by the cub splashing through the surf during scorching 80F weather on Sunday.

Videos posted online show the moment the bear took a dip in the Gulf of Mexico, before wading out at speed on to a crowded beach.

The black bear cub charged through knee-deep waters past dozens of stunned tourists on a scorching Sunday in Destin, west Florida

Beachgoers watched in wonder while many edged closer to take videos and pictures of the wild animal as it waded to the crowded shore

The bear can be seen shaking its head to clear its ears of saltwater as it emerges from the ocean just meters away from the nearest paddlers, while an onlooker shouts: 'That's not a dog!'

The wild animal wades closer to the shore while people watch on in awe and many edge closer to catch a photograph.

A woman nearby can be heard shouting 'be careful', while others exclaim: 'It's a bear!' 

The sopping wet bear stumbles on to the sand as the video cuts. Witness Chris Barron described the encounter as 'insane'. 

Sharing a video of the grizzly on Twitter, he said the bear 'swam from way out in the ocean to shore'. 

Videos posted online show the moment the bear took a dip in the Gulf of Mexico , before wading out at speed on to a crowded beach

The sighting shocked dozens of onlookers and thousands more people online - but Captain Chris Kirby, from Charter Boat Backlash, which operates in Destin, said he has seen similar scenes before

The sighting shocked dozens of onlookers and thousands more people online - but Captain Chris Kirby, from Charter Boat Backlash, which operates in Destin, said he has seen similar scenes before. 

'It's not uncommon', he told AI.com. 'There are a lot of bears at Eglin Air Force Base. They swim across the bay. Sometimes they go for a joy swim.

'Everybody's just got cellphones now and they get pictures.'

Florida is home to approximately 4,050 black bears in Florida, according to biologists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.