Cocoa Beach on viral 'places on Earth that don't feel real' TikTok. But the video is wrong

Jennifer Sangalang, Florida Today
·5 min read

Thank you for the Cocoa Beach, Florida, love, TikTok!

A viral TikTok from Travel Guys has had 16.5 million views on the social media platform: "Places on earth that don't feel real: U.S.A." Cocoa Beach made the ultra exclusive list. Only problem is ... it's not Cocoa Beach footage.

Some comments from the viral video:

  • "Cocoa Beach looks nothing like that."

  • "I have actually been to Cocoa Beach. It doesn't look like this but it was still blue and beautiful."

  • "I lived in Cocoa Beach for 20+ years. It's real but not as vibrant as these videos show (in love emoji) still so much fun and very beautiful though!"

  • "The Cocoa Beach stuff only looks like that when plankton are out, which is like maybe once a year."

So why did this video explode in views and shares and likes on social media? A glowing blue-green phenomenon called bioluminescence helped. It does occur in the Space Coast in some parts of the Indian River Lagoon (see photo gallery below), but sly TikTokkers identified the clips to be from the Sea of Stars in the Maldives. Two other beautiful places made the Travel Guys' list.

Below are some things to know about bioluminescence and the viral TikTok "places on Earth that don't feel real."

What is bioluminescence?

Bioluminescence is caused by billions of dinoflagellates, microscopic animals, that light up when threatened, causing a "glowing" effect in the water. It's found in Florida, California, Australia, China and Puerto Rico.

Think of the glow from fireflies and deep-sea fish.

One hot bucket list: 35 things to do, places to go on Florida's Space Coast this summer or anytime

Is bioluminescence in Florida?

Yes. From June to September, the Space Coast has several bioluminescence tours. Popular spots to see this natural phenomenon include the Thousand Islands in the Banana River (in Cocoa Beach), parts of the Indian River Lagoon, in Titusville and National Wildlife Refuge on Merritt Island. In neighboring counties, bioluminescence has occurred in the Indian River Lagoon in St. Lucie County on the Treasure Coast, and "glowing fish" also can be found in the far southern Volusia County part of Mosquito Lagoon, about 15 miles north of areas in Titusville, at Sunrise Park in Oak Hill.

Where can I see bioluminescence?

In addition to the Florida locations (see above) Mosquito Bay in Puerto Rico and Newport Beach in California are known for bioluminescence. The glowing microorganisms have been reported in waters in China and Australia, too. The Maldives is well-known for bioluminescence from June to October. One famous spot is called the "Sea of Stars."

Where is Sea of Stars? Where is Maldives?

Maldives is a small country in Asia, located in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. The "Sea of Stars" is on the shores of Vaadhoo, Maldives.

What are the most beautiful places in the U.S.A., according to the TikTok Travel Guys video?

  • Cocoa Beach, Florida

  • Bentonite Hills, Utah

  • Bonneville Salt Lake, formally known as Bonneville Salt Flats, 110 miles west of Salt Lake City, Utah

What is Cocoa Beach, Florida, known for?

Cocoa Beach, Florida, is located in Brevard County aka the Space Coast. Here are some quick hits about Cocoa Beach:

  • "I Dream of Jeannie," a retro TV show about an astronaut who finds a genie in a bottle, starred Barbara Eden as Jeannie and Larry Hagman as the astronaut (J.R. from "Dallas"). While not filmed in Florida, the show was set in Cocoa Beach, and there is an I Dream of Jeannie Lane. Eden has visited the Space Coast many times over the years.

  • Kelly Slater, the GOAT of surfing, learned how to surf here and grew up in Cocoa Beach. Kelly Slater has two statues in the city, one in front of Ron Jon Surf Shop and another near downtown Cocoa Beach.

  • Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach is the company's flagship store and the largest surf shop in the world at 52,000 square feet. Ron Jon has expanded in recent years and now has 13 stores, with most in Florida.

  • For GPS reasons, Cocoa Beach is the closest beach east of Orlando (Cocoa Beach Pier), located 10 minutes from Port Canaveral (the world's busiest cruise ship port) and about 30 minutes from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Photos of the GOAT: Kelly Slater, the most famous surfer in the world, is from Cocoa Beach

Who are the Travel Guys on TikTok?

As of June 28, 2023, "travelguyss" (note the extra S) on TikTok had about 691,000 followers and 17.1 million likes. Its bio? Travel, nature and stays.

One of its most popular TikToks is the "most beautiful places" or "places on Earth that don't feel real" series. Those videos typically net thousands and, for some, millions of views.

The TikTok video with the Space Coast tie originally was posted in March 2023, but it was (pardon the pun) making waves this month with hundreds of comments about Cocoa Beach. As of June 28, there have been 16.5 million views, almost 2 million hearts, more than 330,000 saves, 75,000 shares and 6,000-plus comments on this social media platform.

Are the Travel Guys from TikTok on Instagram?

Yes. The Travel Guys have an Instagram account, @thetravelguyss, featuring its "places on Earth that don't feel real" series and other travel-related videos. The "places on Earth that don't feel real: U.S.A." Instagram Reel was shy of 13,000 views as of June 27, 2023. It was posted in mid-May. TikTok is definitely the platform with the most reach and engagement for the Travel Guys' videos.

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: TikTok video: Florida bioluminescence on 'most beautiful places' list