ST. LOUIS (KTVI) — A St. Louis-area family did a double take when they saw a black bear in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico this past weekend.

“We had been out on the beach, swimming, boogie boarding for a few hours,” said Karen Pierson.

She and her family were vacationing in Destin, Florida, when they saw the bear Sunday.

“I’m looking at the bear, and I know my girls are behind me, and I’m like, ‘Yes, that is a real bear,’” Pierson said.

She said the bear swam within approximately 100 feet of the family as they swam away to create some distance. No one was harmed.

Dan Zarlenga, the St. Louis regional media specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said giving an American black bear some space was exactly the right thing to do.

“Give it enough space,” Zarlenga said. “Don’t try to get too close to it.”

He said bears are native to Florida. It’s unknown how the bear made its way to the beach in Destin.

Zarlenga does encourage anyone living in an area where a bear has been spotted to make sure they don’t feed it, as that can make the bear more aggressive.

Zarlenga recommends removing bird feeders, cleaning barbecue grills, securing trash cans and not being outdoors overnight to avoid bear danger.