It was the middle of summer and worse still it was a holiday weekend so the long stretch of soft sandy beach was full of people enjoying the sun and the waves. It was actually a perfect day as well, it was hot yes but only in the high 80’s/low 90’s not the 100 degree plus it normally would be. The sky was clear with only a couple of white puffy clouds high above with a soft warm breeze coming in from the sea.
In other words, the beach was packed to the brim with people. People of all kinds, some locals, but they tended to avoid the beach right now because of the crowds but a lot of tourists. There were some families of course, ranging from new ones to large multi-generational which had rented out beach houses on or near the shore. There were a lot of young college age kids as well since this area was known as a hot bed for spring break fun.
While the beach was full, sitting well within sight of the shoreline but far enough away to actually enjoy the water without the mass of humanity were dozens of private boats. Most were pontoon boats but some yachts sat there as well. Some people used it as a base to go scuba diving or snorkeling while others just enjoyed swimming out in deeper water. A lot of people were drinking, more people swimming and some simply sunbathing on deck. Almost all were enjoying themselves.
None of them new they would be the first ones to get hit by the wave of parasitic merpeople tails heading there way. Even those sitting on the decks of ships wouldn’t be safe as they where not high enough above the water to avoid a leaping attack from one of these “fishes.” When they got hit it would be only a minute or two before the mass of hundreds if not thousands of these creatures hit the much larger and denser packed beach.