'Mystery Sea Creature' Might Have Mundane Explanation

The 'sea creature' captured on film by Burton. (Image credit: Kevin Burton / YouTube)

Kevin Burton of Tynemouth, England, was enjoying his morning coffee last month at the North Pier of the River Tyne when he spotted something unusual in the water. He shot about a minute and a half of what he joked was "the first sighting of the Loch Ness Monster outside of Scotland," and posted the video to YouTube on August 10th under the title "Mystery Sea Creature."

The video clearly shows something sizable in the water, but exactly what that might be is very much up for debate.

Some have speculated that it might be a large eel or an out-of-place Oarfish trapped by the tide.

Another resident of Tynemouth has a very different idea--he doesn't think it's an animal at all.

"It's a rubber mat off the beach that the local sailing club and rescue boat service (who I volunteer for) use to launch boats from," Daryl Wegrzyn commented on the video.

"I know that beach like the back of my hand," Wegrzyn continued. "I have a hut on it, I launch my boat from there and I volunteer for the rescue boats that operate from there...definitely no sea creature."

In the video the object appears to be moving against the current, but Wegrzyn explained that "these rubber mats are 10m long it's just moving in the water."

According to Wegrzyn, "High tides pull [the mats] out all the time."