The U.S. Open is over.

Sometimes it’s hard to recognize how odd or interesting something is when you’re immersed in it. But when you step away, you say: what was that all about?

I’ve had a few of those moments while picking through the piles of photos from the event.

Take the snake man here.

People bring a lot of weird stuff to the sand but this probably took the cake for me. “OK, let’s see here… wrap around sunglasses: check… Hulk Hogan bandanna and matching tank top: check… Starbucks Mocha Espresso Venti: check… And a couple of four foot boa constrictors: check. I’m ready to watch some surfing!”

Meanwhile, a photographer was asking himself: “Where’s a nice quiet, secluded place for me to do my swimsuit shoot?… Wait, I got it!”

What this picture doesn’t show is the thousands and thousands of people on the beach, and the surf heats right behind her. Smart marketing. Good thing she wasn’t shy.

And neither was this kid.

This caped crusader trolled the sand in a speedo (thankfully this shot is cropped high). Let’s just say people weren’t exactly lining up for his services.

At least not like they were lining up at the Paul Mitchell booth. Over in the festival area, the company was giving out $10 designer haircuts. Very fashion forward.

The sand wasn’t the only place for strange sightseeing, though. The sky and the water saw their fair share, too. Like people jumping out of planes right above the contest area.

It’s the first sky diving spectacle at The Open, front and center. The divers put on show, maximizing their free falls and gave that scene from Point Break a run for it’s money.

Out to sea, drunk monkeys and giant bananas patrolled the open waters in jet skis and catamarans?courtesy of Volcom, of course. (More monkeys and bananas also ran amok on the beach.)

That’s not to say I was surprised by any of this (you expect this type of thing at The Open, or maybe you just become desensitized to it). All I’m saying is the circus looks that much weirder when you’re not a part of the show.