Every vacation must come to an end.
Whether your safari is eventually overrun by hungry giraffes.
Or your circus is taken hostage by clowns striking for higher quality squirting lapels.
Or your beach is suddenly covered in large brown masses.
Which a helpful article in the morning paper identifies as poo from one of the many naval vessels that travel back and forth right off Virginia Beach’s shore.
Though even without the article, we’d soon have made the realization ourselves.
From the overwhelming odor.
Have you ever tried to lie down and read a book next to an open sewer?
It’s harder to focus than you might think.
Unless you have vast experience with sewers or children – then it’s probably exactly as bad as you think.
Sure, we stopped going in the ocean, too freaked out that the waves would trick us into dodging against a bobbing mound.
And, sure, we ended up leaving the beach and spending our last afternoon at the hotel pool, which looked to have been last renovated in the 1980s.
And I just might have developed a lifelong fear of unidentifiable floating objects.
But you have to admit, there is some strange beauty in them.
Or you don’t, actually, have to admit that
You can feel free to just find them disgusting,
Megan
When Poo Attacks
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
I’d like to point out that Megan and I disagree about the brown masses. A scientist from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science cut one open and decided they are potato sponges. Apparently decaying sea animals smell like poo.
http://www.vims.edu/newsandevents/topstories/irene_blobs.php
http://www.fox43tv.com/dpps/news/mysterious-clumps-wash-up-on-ov-beaches_3939323
I’ve decided to believe this story, as I like scientists… and it makes me feel better. One unidentified blob might have touched my leg. *shudder*
I really also want to believe your statement, Skye because poo on the beach is just so disgusting :/
The adventures of poo – eeuwww
If it could be poo why wouldn’t they close the beaches? I don’t think I’m that squeamish, I’m no Sarah, but feces on the beach seems like a health concern…
Whoa Megan! I think that Gulf Oil Slick settled on those strangely disgusting Turds. I sure hope the showers have been renovated and come with anti-bacterial soap. Yeesh!
Great Photos!
Ellen
You could have warned me to put down my bagel before reading.
I feel as though the title should have been warning enough!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! That ‘s hilariously nasty.
What in the WORLD??? That is simply ri-DONK-ulous. Next time you feel the urge to visit a beach, come on down to Charleston, SC. We don’t have poo on our beaches. (usually.)
That? Is human poop?
Who has poop that big?
Who?
And there are people in bathing suits just walking amongst the poop…
Like nothing is wrong….just another day at the beach.
Who cleans it?
Megan…enlighten me here.
Not me.
Like
Presumably it isn’t… one person’s bowel movement, but rather how the excrement clumps together when stored in the facilities and then released into the ocean. They also assured the public that it was chemically treated and perfectly safe, so presumably that also caused weird shapes!
That is beyond disgusting. Beyond.
Doesn’t it seem wrong to… unload on your own country?!
Seriously… aren’t there some pirates we could launch this stuff at?!
What the what????? Dude I’m going to obx in two weeks and so help me if there’s human excrement on the beach? The Navy will be hearing from me. I will not have our first vacation in eleven months go in the crapper.
The beach used to be my happy place.
When our club meets? Bring the squirting lapels. And the seaweed. Even a bowl cat.
But leave the poo.
XO
Amazing. And repulsive.
Shut the front door.
That is POOP!?!?!
I’m a mom of 2 young kids. I’ve changed more than my fair share of “poop soup” diapers. And yet, I find this NASTY.
Wow. Just, wow.
Wow. I think this is one of those rare I’ve-been-rendered-speechless moments.
Another reason to believe that beaches are overrated…
Eek. I think I’m in the disgusting category!!
I just realised that may not have sounded how I intended it to sound. I would like to take myself out of the disgusting category and clarify that I think the poo belongs in it
Every once in a while, when my 6 yr old hasn’t gone in a couple of days – he produces some real doozies. But nothing compares to these monstrosities. Maybe they recruit aliens or gorillas or something – and why can’t whales eat our crap? It seems like a fair pay off for not eating them, don’t you think?
By the way, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Thank You.
This? Is finally the one image that makes my son’s poopy diapers look…well, a tad less shitty.
And considering that I cloth diaper? That’s saying A LOT.
I think I’ll go shower now…
i don’t know which paper you read that in, and i really hate to burst your “poo bubble”, but i do believe those are potato sponges. hurricane irene broke them loose and they just happen to make it to shore during your visit…coincidence…i don’t think so =o)
that is quite possibly one of the most disgusting things i’ve ever seen. WOW.
and then, when i googled the comment above mine, i found this:
http://www.thirdage.com/news/irene-blobs-most-likely-potato-sponges-says-biologist_09-14-2011
and suddenly i feel better. and just a little stupid.
There are no words. Just…wow. Retch. And wow.
Whatever those things are, it makes me glad that I have gorgeous Australian beaches at my doorstep (well 2 hours away). The only thing we have to contend with is the various natural creatures that will sting/bite/eat you.
Young one, you can make anything interesting.
Well, it doesn’t appear to be an endangered feces.
No STINKIN’ way!!! Are you sure?? I saw the commenter up there mention potato sponges. Can we go with that? Is this really POOP??????????????? Please say no. Say no before I try to go to sleep tonight. This will keep me up!
nope
disgusting
I may change my mind about liking long walks on the beach.
What are they feeding those people?
My vote is for potato sponges, because the mind shudders to think that the seaweed you guys were making so free and easy with in the earlier post was lying on the same beach and surfing the same waves as giant mounds of sailor poop.
HORK!
They do glisten colorfully like oil…
Crap happens.
Holy disgusting!! Wow- and there are still lots of people at the beach walking all around it. Ewwwwwwww!!
Oh goodness! That is a terrible way to end a vacation. Bleck!
This kind of thing is exactly what keeps me out of the ocean. Just yuck.
There are beaches in the outer banks of NC where wild horses frolic and play and even SWIM gloriously in the crashing waves! It’s beautiful and magical. Until you notice the giant piles of horse poo. Swimming isn’t fun when you’re dodging floating feces. This reminds me of that. Ew.