Crater found on NC beach was a dangerous stunt that broke the law, NC police say

Beachgoers took things too far when they used the cover of darkness to dig a “meteor strike” crater in the sand, according to police in eastern North Carolina.

It happened in Sunset Beach, about a 180-mile drive south from Raleigh, and the stunt was both illegal and dangerous, Sunset Beach police said in a July 11 Facebook post.

A photo shared by police shows the hole was large enough to serve as a backyard pool.

“You would think this photo was created by AI, but it’s not!” police wrote in the post.

“Large holes like this may seem harmless fun, but they can create serious hazards. ... In this case, the hole was so large that Sunset Beach Code Compliance personnel had to call Department of Public Works, who brought in a backhoe to safely fill it in.”

The hole was “dug in the middle of the night” and found the next morning by Code Compliance personnel, officials said. The culprits have not been identified.

News of the discovery prompted community outrage on social media, with the Facebook post amassing more than 1,200 reactions and comments as of July 13.

“Someone or some people did this to intentionally harm others. It was dug in the middle of the night. People walking at night or early morning could have fallen into this thing and been seriously hurt ... Maybe the down needs to mount some cameras,” Don Meincke posted.

“What’s the purpose to dig a whole this big in the middle of the night? I don’t get it,” Kristy Mcdowell wrote.

Digging in the sand is a cherished beach tradition, but a trend of tourists creating deeper holes has forced many coastal towns to adopt laws governing the practice.

In Sunset Beach, an ordinance forbids metal shovels on the beach, and digging anything more than 18 inches deep or five feet wide, police say. And all beach holes must be filled in no later than 7 p.m., police say.

The holes pose a danger because they are difficult to see in the dark and can work like traps for passersby and emergency vehicles, police note. “They can also become traps for sea turtles coming ashore to nest and lay their eggs,” police said.

This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 6:52 AM.