Taken over: this seawater made up of dissolved salts covered this town
But taking a closer look it's more like a scene from Sci-fi movie as it becomes apparent it is in fact covered in a foamy white substance.
The scene greeted locals in Saint Guénolé in north west France last Saturday morning after a particularly stormy night.
The quaint fishing village was submerged in huge quantities of sea foam after a number of storms came rolling into Europe last week - bringing with them some bizarre weather phenomenon.
Experts say sea foam or spume is caused by the wind driving rough seas.
The foam is made by a magic component of seawater dissolved salts, proteins and algae and anything else organic that it picks up along the way.
And while the residents of the sleepy town could be forgiven for thinking they'd woken up to scene from Dr Who, it's all perfectly natural.
Foam wave: Saint Guénolé in north west France was completely covered
In fact it's quite the opposite and is often an indication of a productive ocean ecosystem.
However they do suggest that the residue should be cleared up quickly to prevent algae deteriorating and becoming a threat to public health.
I was wondering what seafoam is made of:
"Sea foam, ocean foam, beach foam, or spume is a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter (including proteins, lignins, and lipids)[1] derived from sources such as the offshore breakdown of algal blooms. These compounds can act as surfactants or foaming agents. As the seawater is churned by breaking waves in the surf zone adjacent to the shore, the presence of these surfactants under these turbulent conditions traps air, forming persistent bubbles that stick to each other through surface tension. Due to its low density and persistence, foam can be blown by strong on-shore winds from the beachface inland." [Link]