The treacherous waves of the North Sea have become an unlikely TikTok sensation.
The North Sea — a body of water located between Great Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Belgium and France — is frequently used as a shipping and fishing route, and is considered a "shortcut" for good between Europe and Asia. It's also a source of oil and gas, as well as renewable energy, European countries.
And it's become the hottest (or coldest?) thing on the internet again, thanks to #NorthSeaTok, a segment of the social media platform highlighting the North Sea's characteristic terrifying waves, bobbing boats, chaotic storms and spooky fog. (Longtime "fans" of the North Sea know it's previously trended on Reddit and YouTube.)
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NorthSeaTok videos feature ominous captions like "The more treacherous sea in the world," and show footage of tall waves crashing onto boats, forcing sailors aboard to, well, batten down the hatches.
Many of the clips use the dirge-like "Hoist the Colors" song from the "Pirate of the Caribbean: At World's End" for their soundtrack.
People say the videos haven given them a brand-new irrational fear: “Being in peril in the North Sea,” as @shawbag2.0 said in a video. “It’s given me the distinct feeling that the North Sea could kill me at any moment.”
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“Why is TikTok making me feel like the North Sea is something I should be fearing daily, in my every day life? Like it’s a present threat, that I’m about to somehow end up in the North Sea?” @notolsennchris said in a video.
As cases of thalassophobia — or, fear of the sea — rise, people find they can't look away from the churning waters that have taken over their For You pages. "Me on my 100th North Sea video I can't stop watching these videos," @m_e_lissane wrote as a caption to a video.
Some have been posting videos of reactions to the drama on the high seas.
The videos have revived chatter about the internet’s favorite seafaring folks, the Vikings. “No wonder why vikings are so fierce. north sea has left dem traumatized,” one viewer wrote in the comments of a video.
Many wonder how the Vikings managed to cross those waters in their wooden ships. “Imagine being a viking, sailing that in just a longboat,” wrote another.
They've also inspired comments filled with newfound empathy for Elsa's parents in "Frozen." Remember? The king and queen died when their ship got caught in a storm at sea. Looking at these videos, it all makes sense.
“Would you ever go out on these waters?” a narrator asks in one popular #NorthSeaTok video. The video culminates by showing the North Sea’s “raw power” about to split a ship in half. Yikes!
As much as viewers are on the sailors' sides, some NorthSeaTok fans wonder why the waters rage like they do. "Maybe the north sea just needs a friend to talk to," joked one viewer.
The videos have led to people appreciated the ground beneath their feet, like the viewer who shared, “This is why I stay on land." But that doesn't mean they'll stop watching from afar.
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