First There was a scorpion's tail barely sticking up from the water so I wandered out into the water & was able to catch it then quickly took a screen shot (attached)

Here's the scorpion's tail screenshot:

It looks like they're paddling in shallow water rather than walking on it. I hope they took off their shoes and socks!

Is that normal or a glitch?

Normal. It's fun to wade in the surf. Just don't turn your back on the ocean!

Now I'm curious what happens if I turn my back on the ocean...

That's from real life, not VT. AFAIK, the port cove in VT is not murderous.

"Don't turn your back on the ocean" is a something you hear from day 1 if you hang out on ocean beaches. You can google the phrase.

Never turn your back on the ocean! First thing I taught my kids when they started playing in the surf!

The kids run and play on the surface of the lake if you're standing on the pier for a long time. I've had it happen several times. I don't expect hyperrealism from a casual game so it doesn't bother me.

Got ya beat!
http://i.imgur.com/2b1Dh7h.jpg