Jurmola resident Valdis Liepa, 58, expressed shock upon learning the body of water lacks proper oceanic credentials. 'No one told me it was basically a giant rain collection,' he stated. Geographers confirm the Baltic Sea is technically 'a continental shelf sea that got too big for its britches.'

'I've been telling people I swim in the sea,' Liepa explained, visibly distressed. 'Now I find out it's essentially a very ambitious puddle? This changes everything.'

The Baltic Sea, covering approximately 377,000 square kilometers, is indeed classified as a brackish sea rather than a true ocean. Its average depth of 55 meters is 'suspiciously shallow,' according to oceanographic standards.

'It's basically a dip in the ground that filled with water,' explained geographer Dr. Kristine Bērziņa. 'We don't like to make a big deal about it.'

Liepa has reportedly begun telling people he 'puddles' rather than 'swims,' though he admits it doesn't have the same ring to it.