A Cuban identified as Edelsy became an unwitting star of one of the most talked-about videos of the week on TikTok after something struck him from below the water while he was asking for the blessing of Yemayá during a live broadcast from a beach.
The clip published on June 18 by the account @edelsy81 has accumulated over 321,600 views, almost 10,000 likes, and more than 4,500 shares, figures that reflect the immediate impact the scene had among Cuban users of the platform.
Edelsy was in the sea, praying and seeking protection from Yemayá — the orisha of the sea in Cuban Santería — when suddenly something hit him forcefully from underneath the water, not once but twice in quick succession.
The reaction was immediate and unfiltered: he shot towards the shore, shouting and cursing, convinced that it was a shark.
"Oh, damn, what a fright! Dude, it didn’t bite me! It slipped so hard with both feet! And it hit me again and again!" he exclaimed, clearly terrified in front of the camera of his phone, which was still broadcasting the entire episode live.
Once on the shore, Edelsy couldn't believe what he had just experienced: "That scare, damn it, I've never had such a scare in my life," he said, before adding with resignation, "I’d better not wash on bridges; I don't deserve to bathe on the beach."
It was never clear which animal was responsible for the scare. He insisted it was a shark, but there’s no way to confirm it. According to his description, "it was something big" that struck his feet forcefully. In southern Florida, the presence of the tarpon is very common, a large silver fish that is often mistaken for sharks due to its size and movement.
What was clear is that the man was alone on that part of the beach at that moment, which made his solitary and full-speed escape to solid ground even more striking.
The religious component of the video did not go unnoticed among followers. In the comments, Cuban users responded with humor: many pointed out that it was "the first time they've seen such a quick response from Yemayá" to a request, turning the scare into a joke about the orisha's effectiveness.
The practice of worshipping Yemayá directly in the sea is a deeply rooted tradition among Cubans, both on the island and in the diaspora. Her devotees typically enter the water to pray and seek protection, bringing offerings of white flowers, shells, candles, and blue and white fabrics.
This episode is not the first of its kind in the summer of 2026. In early June, another viral video showed panic among beachgoers in Miami Beach as what appeared to be a shark swam among the crowd, in an equally chaotic scene.
Experts indicate that the increased presence of marine animals in warmer months is completely normal and rarely poses a real danger to swimmers, although that can be hard to remember when something large brushes against your feet in open water.
Edelsy concluded her broadcast with a phrase that perfectly sums up her experience: "In the end, it didn’t really affect me; it was something big that hit me..."
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