From Jaws to The Meg, and even Sharknado—you can’t really blame us for having a fear of sharks. But for TikToker Jen (@loyally_jen), that fear became a reality when she discovered what appeared to be a shark in the pool of her vacation rental.
We’ve heard of both real and fake gators showing up in swimming pools, but sharks? That’s really a whole other level.
The viral video, which has garnered 5.4 million views, was filmed at night. The clip slowly pans the camera over what looks like a pool at a vacation home. At the bottom of the pool, two “sharks” can be seen lurking. The TikTok is accompanied by the viral sound, “I think I’m gonna die in this house.”
Meanwhile, the on-screen text reads: “You had an irrational fear of sharks in the pool growing up & this is your pool for the next five days…”
In the comments, Jenna clarified that these sharks are just made out of tile.
‘Irrational Fear’
Many TikTokers could relate to Jenna’s anxiety.
“My husband and I JUST had this convo,” one wrote. “About how it was this crazy universal thing that all of us as kids were like, a shark is gonna come up through the drain grate and get us. How did we all have the same irrational fear?!”
“I literally JUST had a dream last night some wealthy person wanted their pool to connect to the OCEAN and a giant shark came into the pool,” a second shared.
While a third said, “I was a competitive swimmer for 11 years and I also had the irrational fear.”
A fourth added, “I still won’t swim alone because this is still a fear I have.”
Has She Always Had This Fear?
In an emailed statement to BroBible, Jenna said it’s been “incredibly validating” to realize she’s not alone in her fear.
“When I posted the video, I honestly had no idea it would resonate with so many people,” she said. “Growing up, it was a fear that my parents never really understood. Even when I told my husband about it years later, he thought being afraid of sharks in a swimming pool was so silly.”
However, she said, as a child, “it felt completely real to me.”
“I was night swimming in a neighborhood pool in Tennessee, hundreds of miles from the ocean, and I was still convinced a shark could somehow be there,” she added. “Seeing millions of people relate to that same irrational childhood fear has been funny, nostalgic, and surprisingly comforting.”
@loyally_jen Also in the shark capital. Gotta love it! 🦈😅
‘Alligator’ Shows Up In Swimming Pool
As previously mentioned, a similar thing happened to TikToker Khiya (@khiyamarta). When she arrived at her AirBnb, she and her husband were shocked to discover what looked like an alligator’s head lurking in a gap of the pool.
Fittingly, as she and her husband reacted to the discovery, the viral sound, “the saxophones are getting louder,” played in the background.
It later transpired that the gator head was indeed a fake. Its purpose was to deter wildlife from going into the pool.
It can be argued that the tile sharks serve a similar purpose. However, the most likely explanation is that it is simply decorative.