What is North Sea TikTok, and why can't some users get enough of it?

Many social media users have dived back into a TikTok rabbit hole, plunging themselves into numerous videos of massive waves slamming into ships in the North Sea.

On Nov. 27, TikTok page UK Towns (@ukdestinations) posted a video of several boats being slammed by the waves of the North Sea, calling it “the most treacherous sea in the world.” The post currently has over 113 million views, which is just a fraction of the over 2 billion views #northsea — a trending hashtag — has on the entire platform.

While the account didn’t specify when the videos were taken, TikTokers were intrigued enough to fill their For You pages with North Sea content.

The North Sea, located between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, connects directly to the Atlantic Ocean. The sea is often used for cargo ships transporting packages, energy exploration, fishing and tourism in the summer — making it one of the busiest seas in the world. It’s also known for its treacherous waves, which is what some TikTokers are scared of.

“No cause the first clip had HORNS. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT??” commented @dsblade.

“Ok but I saw a video of a man terrified of all the videos he saw of the North Sea and now I’m on this side of Tik Tok,” replied @gabriellesieracki.

Along with the post from UK Towns, several posts from the North Sea and the storms have gone viral recently, as the sight of waves crashing into boats has excited Tiktokers.

The waves are also considered to be short, which makes them so powerful. This is because they can hit a ship several times in a short window. With a constant stream of waves hitting boats, many ships fall victim to the sea’s currents.

“Even though these waves might not be very high, around six feet, they can still cause a vessel to feel extremely unsteady,” wrote Chris Barniux for National Geographic.

This isn’t the first time social media users have been intrigued by the North Sea. In 2020, a clip of a massive wave crashing against an oil rig garnered millions of views.

Years later, many users still are in shock watching the waves crash into boats and oil rigs.

While some people are scared of the hallowing sea, others take a more lighthearted approach to these posts.

“So your telling me the fish got my SHEIN order tell them I’m Omw,” commented @xx_r170.

On top of the massive waves the song that’s used in the videos adds to the ominous and fearful feeling TikTokers have watching these clips.

The original song is called “Hoist the Colours” by Hans Zimmer. It was created for “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” which was released in 2007. However, in 2022, the Bass Singers of TikTok (Bobby Bass, Davide Dalmonte, Eric Holloway, Danny Brevik, Luke Taylor, Ebucs, the Snikle) released their own version — which is the song featured in many of the North Sea TikTok videos.

Whether it’s to make jokes about packages being lost or sit in awe of the violent nature of the water, some TikTokers have willingly spiraled into North Sea Tok.