The Guys Who Instagrammed Themselves "Surfing" A Turtle Could Be Fined $19,965

Fines might be issued to the two blokes who thought "surfing" a turtle would make a funny Instagram post.

Safe to say: They probably aren't laughing anymore.

The two men snapped a photo of themselves standing on the shell of a protected green turtle on Fraser Island off the coast of Queensland, according to the ABC.

One of the men shared the image to his Instagram account, with the caption:

"Surfed a tortoise on zee weekend … gnarly duddddeeeee".

The post has since been deleted, but not quick enough to stop it from going viral. It has been widely shared across social media platforms, prompting a great deal of criticism.

A Queensland Parks and Wildlife (QPWS) spokesperson said the maximum penalty for interfering with a natural resource—like the protected green turtle—is $19,965.

"There is some evidence to suggest that this turtle was deceased at the time of the photo," explained the spokesperson.

However, QPWS can confirm it is taking the matter seriously and will be investigating further.

Speaking to the ABC, Gold Coast local Matt Wright said the photo has had "close to 3,000 shares, over 1,500 likes, or anger likes... and it's had about 900 comments."

Wright shared the image and hundreds of comments poured in describing the two men's actions as "idiotic" and "shameful".

"Regardless if this animal is alive or not... this is clearly disgraceful," one comment read.

Kinda makes you think twice about the lengths you should go to for getting that lol-worthy Instagram post, huh?

Photo: Facebook (Matt Wright) and Giphy