An £80,000 Land Rover was trapped by the tide in a Welsh coastal resort on Sunday.
The Discovery 4×4 was submerged at around 10am on Main Beach in Absersoch, North Wales, a resort dubbed ‘Cheshire-on-Sea’ for its wealthy visitors.
Pictures of the silver Land Rover, a 2018 diesel model, showed it becoming completely submerged as the clear water crept up its side.
A video posted on social media showed a paddleboarder floating over the car and peering through its sunroof.
It is not known who owns the car or how it came to be parked on the beach – its most recent MOT in July 2025 recorded that the SUV had driven 43,303 miles to that point.
A bright red tow rope was attached to the back of the car and floated in the water.
One business owner who works near the beach told the Daily Mail on Monday the SUV had since been rescued.
The Land Rover could be seen in the water on Main Beach, which is lined with sought-after huts – one was listed for sale at £250,000 in 2023, more than the average Welsh house price in March that year.
A silver Land Rover Discovery parked on Main Beach in Abersoch, North Wales, was pictured as the tide crept up its side on Sunday
A paddleboarder on the beach floated over the submerged SUV, which was rescued by Monday
As the tide came in the Land Rover was left completely underwater- it is not clear why the car was parked on the beach or who its owner is
Social media users said the area, which has long attracted tourists and second-home owners lured to the region by its beauty, will likely see more cases of submerged cars.
One social media user wrote: ‘Not the first and it won’t be the last.’
Another said the incident marked the start of ‘silly season’, when locals see more and more mishaps as tourists and second-home owners, inexperienced in the ways of the coast, flood into the region.
They added: ‘When will the bloody tourists learn.’
Others were more sympathetic, with one stating that the Discovery’s 4×4 capacity ‘probably gave [the driver] a sense of security that it can go anywhere – we all know it can’t.
‘We have to still feel a little sorry for his loss.’
Another wrote: ‘Very sad to see that something went wrong. See many cars go into the sea to retrieve boat trailers, and you know that car will be rotten very soon afterwards.
‘You also see people who use their nous and use long ropes to pull out the trailer before hitching and not getting wet. But you can never account for sand shift or sink – and it’s a risk you take. There’s a reason why old tractors are used.’
