Herd of manatees stun beachgoers by swimming close to Florida shore

A herd of manatees delighted beachgoers as they gathered to swim close to shore on Florida's Miramar Beach.

The stunning footage was captured on 19 August by a lifeguard working with the South Walton Fire District.

While uploading the video to social media, which has since gone viral with over one million views, the district explained why their lifeguard got close enough to record the footage without actually touching the herd.

"Manatees are a protected species by state and federal laws. Unfortunately, their population numbers continue to decline. As a result, manatees are now also a threatened species."