What was he suffering from?

Amnesia can do something like this.

That is bizarre. Maybe he’s an escaped mental patient, suffered from a concussion, had short term amnesia, early onset dementia or alzheimers (you never know), or maybe he was high on something and tripping bad? No telling really, could be any number of things. But wow. Freaky.

Welcome to fluther. Well written – could be the beginning of an O Henry story. Seriously, though, probably drugs.

He was phone.

But @zenele is probably correct. Drugs. Sounds like some good ones, too.

Transient global amnesia can occur if one is suddenly immersed in cold water. Often, the only neurological “finding” is the complete lack of ability to remember anything but the most recent few seconds of time (e.g. no slurring of speech or other neurologic abnormalities). It usually resolves spontaneously, and no one knows why it happens

He might just have been messing with you.

@Dr_Dredd That is both fascinating and terrifying. I’m sure it’s very rare, but I’m still going to try my hardest not to fall into any lakes or oceans any time soon!

OP: was this guy at all wet when he talked to you?

He was suffering from temporal dislocation. ie/ He was a time traveller. Say hello to John Titor for me.

He’s obviously from the future and we probably don’t have the oceans in the future like we do now they are probably full of black stuff and he was admiring the beautiful blue skies which in the future are greyed out and animals that are probably no longer around on those rocks.

I agree with the time travel theroy… or maybe he was a cast away and landed on the beach from the ocean

@Dr Dredd

I was thinking “fugue state” but was under the impression it is usually caused by some type of emotional shock. But, would it also apply toward physical shock. I’ve only read about it in the former.

But is fugue just an imprecise way of describing what you’re alluding to ? Or is it another possibility ?

Since I’m not a medical professional, I figured I’d ask you before confusing the situation further.

Reminds me of a time when I was a student at Berkeley 25 years ago. The Grateful Dead had just finished a concert at the Greek Theatre and I was walking home from the lab to my apartment across campus. This guy, obviously stoned on acid, came up to me and said, “Dude, where’s my car?” (Yes, he really said that). I looked at him and knowing that I didn’t want him driving pointed back up the hill to the Greek Theatre. “That way,” “Thanks man!” and he wandered off.

@primigravida

No, he wasn’t wet at all. Completely dry. Pretty sure he wasn’t messing with us. May have been drugs. He seemed smart, and detail oriented, checking everything around him and exploring all the rocks such. His fascination with the ocean was a bit strange, though.

I guess I will never know, but it was definitely one of the strangest experiences I will ever have!

ha ha, wow. maybe he got some sort of temporary amnesia that made him forget what water was?

What did his shoes look like?

You should read some of Oliver Sack’s cases. I think he wrote a story about an amnesiac he was treating. The article appeared in the New Yorker, I believe. It did!

He seems to have been is some kind of dissociative state.

I’d say if he was on some sort of drug his reaction to the ocean would’ve been a little off not quite like you describe. You say he kept looking down a “small” cliff, it sound more suicidal or even depression to me than on drugs.

Savant Syndrome perhaps, people with this syndrome tend to be hyper intense when it comes do details of the surroundings. Even though he supposedly was on drugs, it would be pretty obvious. Symptoms of drugs that work the neurological system most often result in doziness, glossy eyes, etc. You said he looked calm and aware, apart from the time, which might have been a result due to sedative drugs upon taking something to make him feel disoriented. As he wasn’t wet, I’d exclude the possibility of him being in an accident at sea, and since he didn’t display any superficial damage, he most certainly wasn’t.

Further on, natural elements and such are a hypnotic thing themselves, if observed by someone on drugs, e.g. fire or waves at sea. Just guessing here, but, wouldn’t say it had to do with any depression or such. The picture doesn’t fit with the time disorientation.

@grumpyfish Yeah what did his shoes look like? This could change the story for sure.