Cops Called To Investigate "Innocent" Beach Photos, Uncover Troubling Truth And Act Fast

A trip to the beach can be full of wonder and delight as you uncover amazing treasures like sea glass, seashells and even jellyfish.  Many artists comb beaches to find unique items to add to their

sculptures or handmade crafts.
Some of life's simplest pleasures can be had at the beach - squishing wet sand between your toes, basking in the warm sun, or simply daydreaming while watching the waves crash. Some prefer to go on little adventures and sight-see, maybe even go off in search of whales or dolphins. While the beach offers unlimited entertainment, it can be easy to forget that the ocean in a vast and mysterious place. Sometimes, the adventure finds you. This is exactly what happened to one family that recently uncovered something quite startling at their last trip to the beach.

For the Gravell family, their exciting trip to the beach at Burry Port in Wales could've turned tragic. Kelly Gravell, her husband Gareth, and their young son and daughter were hunting for beach gems to tote home. They stumbled upon one item and couldn't believe their luck at this find.

The family uncovered what looked like a massive buoy blanketed in shells and barnacles. They had never seen anything like it before! The family took pictures of the kids near the intriguing yet unidentifiable object. The kids even played by it, too. 

It wasn't until they shared the photos on social media that the truth about this object was finally revealed. When their friends realized what was going on, they immediately contacted the Pembrook County Park officials who instantly reached out to the family. What they thought was all fun and games could have easily turned deadly.

County officially immediately shut down the beach and investigated the situation. It turns out, the seemingly innocent item the family had discovered was far from a barnacle-covered buoy... it was actually a sea mine. Kelly and Gareth studied their photos again and realized that it did vaguely resemble a bomb. 

As it turns out, there are still a few sea mines left behind from World War II. In fact, out of the hundreds of thousands used in the war, approximately 13,000 were deliberately left behind. In the 30-year period, over 500 minesweepers were damaged or sunk too. Scientists say that some could still be accidentally deployed even after all these years, so they detonated the one that the Gravell family found in a controlled explosion. 

This wasn't your average seashell or sea glass discovery during a regular trip to the beach, but something much more shocking. What are the odds that this young family would stumble across such a historic find, albeit a potentially dangerous one?