History Main / ChaseStopsAtWater

* Double Subverted and Lampshaded in ''WesternAnimation/{{Storks}}''. While Tulip and Junior try to escape the wolf pack, they use a makeshift raft to try to get away... only for the wolves to form [[SynchronizedSwarming a wolf boat]] ''and'' [[SuperPersistentPredator a wolf submarine]]. The chase only ends when the duo go over a waterfall, and the wolves (logically) fail to form a wolf plane, falling into the water unable to catch up.
--> '''Tulip''': I didn't know wolves could form a submarine! I've never seen that before in nature shows.

* In the ''Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire'', Katniss and the other protagonists are being chased by wild monkeys, but stopped chasing them not because they were afraid of the beach, but because they were programmed not to go beyond a certain point. They were like the fog and the birds which couldn't pass a certain point via an invisible wall.
* In ''Film/TheFellowshipOfTheRing'':
** The first Nazgûl the Hobbits meet pursues them to the Bucklebury Ferry, but quickly reins in his horse when Frodo jumps onto the barge. This is a hint at their supernatural nature; as undead, they ''hate'' [[CannotCrossRunningWater crossing rivers.]]

* ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'': A variation is seen near the very end of the movie when Ludllow spots Malcolm and Sarah carrying the infant ''rex'' and chases them aboard [=InGen's=] cargo ship. When he spots Sarah and Malcolm running out of the ship's cargo hold, he resumes his chase and demands they tell him where the baby ''rex'' is. When they jump overboard and swim away from the ship, Ludllow decides to ignore them, and goes into the cargo hold where he finds the baby ''rex'' and [[spoiler:where papa ''rex'' corners Ludllow and watches his offspring makes its first kill]].

* ''Film/{{Predator}}'': Subverted: Dutch seemingly escapes the titular alien hunter when he falls into a river and down the InevitableWaterfall... only for the creature to jump into the river right after him. And then double-subverted: [[spoiler:the mud of the riverbanks covers Dutch, masking his body heat from the Predator's thermal vision, so the river helped him escape after all.]]

* ''Film/ResidentEvilTheFinalChapter''. Everyone jumps into a giant pit full of water to escape a pack of Cerberus, and the few that fall in with them can't swim, apparently because [[SuperDrowningSkills their decayed zombie bodies lack natural buoyancy]]. However the rest of the pack just run around the edge of the pit and attack once they climb out the other side.

* Subverted in ''Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu''. When Johansen and Briden reach the ship, there is a HopeSpot where the narrator compares the Great Old One to Polyphemus cursing Odysseus' ship as it sails away. But then, he describes how Cthulhu was bolder than the old Cyclops of legend, as he enters the water to give pursuit to the fleeing boat, to the horror of its occupants.
* In ''Literature/GodEmperorOfDune'' Siona and her rebel cadre are pursued by fierce creatures called "D-Wolves" that catch and kill almost everyone in the party. Siona alone escapes by swimming across a river; the D-Wolves stop at the water's edge, not because they cannot swim but because they were trained to go no further.
* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings,'' the Nazgûl are brought up short at the Ford of Bruinen when Frodo crosses it. He and the Witch-King yell at each other across the river, and when the Ringwraiths actually try to cross, they're swept away by the enchanted river. This scene is shown in most faithfully in the Ralph Bakshi movie adaptation, with Arwen getting to argue with the Ringwraiths in the Peter Jackson version.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': The first time Clark met [[ComicBook/TheFlash Bart Allen]], he tried chasing him. Bart was surprised that there was actually someone in existence who could try. Bart lost Clark by running on water, which Clark was not fast enough to do.

* Some ''VideoGame/ARKSurvivalEvolved'' carnivores (such as Terror Bird) are hesitant about fighting in water, while others (such as Megalodons) obviously can't follow you onto land. [[SubvertedTrope A few, however (such as Sarcos and Baryonyxes) are more than willing to hunt you both on land and in water]].

* ''VideoGame/EverQuestII'' features an inversion: Aquatic creatures are hard-coded to give up chasing you if you swim out of water onto land. Normal creatures will follow you into the water though.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'': Endermen take damage when coming in contact with water, and will be unable to follow the player if they go into a river, ocean, or any body of water, instead they will stand on the shore and stare at you.
* ''{{VideoGame/Valheim}}'':

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Justified in ''WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', as the heroes and their allies have the ability to walk on water [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0561.html thanks to magic]], while orcs chasing them don't. Even if the orcs were inclined to swim after them, they would be too slow to catch up. Then Elan manages to diffuse the situation.

* Subverted and PlayedForLaughs in the ''Class Dismissed'' episode of ''WesternAnimation/BrandyAndMrWhiskers''. Brandy and Mr. Whiskers are chased by a hungry panther and decide to try and escape by crossing a river with a log and removing the log. To their surprise, the panther is a SuperPersistentPredator who immediately tries to swim across the river, but is luckily stopped when the river reveals to be the end of a waterfall that washes the panther away.
-->'''Brandy:''' Okay, how glad am I that panthers can't swim...(Sees panther swimming across river)... Wow, he's good.
* ''WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego'': Shadowsan's chase for the young escaping heroine in [[OriginsEpisode "Becoming Carmen Sandiego"]] ends after she uses a boat, forcing him to remain on the docks of V.I.L.E. Island. [[spoiler:A later episode would reveal that his halt was completely intenional.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': When the Simpson clan is in Africa and being chased by a giant hippo, Homer insists they get in a boat and go in the river because hippos are scared of water. Lisa points out that hippos ''aren't'' scared of water, but the hippo does stop and cower away when it gets close to the shore.
* PlayedForLaughs in the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "The Return Of The Fellowship Of The Ring To The Two Towers" where the boys, currently doing a ''Lord of the Rings'' roleplay, are being chased by fifth graders. Cartman suggests travelling over a shallow river since fifth graders can't stand water. Despite the other boys openly finding the theory stupid, they follow. The fifth graders actually ''do'' screech to a halt at the river, since they don't wanna get their bikes wet, much to the gang leader's chagrin.
* At one point in the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' episode ''Larry'', the Titans and the titular character end up encountering a vicious {{Notzilla}} over the course of their time in the bizarre dimension they've ended up in. The beast proceeds to chase them throughout the bizarrified Jump City until the heroes eventually reach a boat and start sailing across the sea between the city and the tower where Titans Tower is located, at which point the last we see of the Notzilla is the sight of it roaring in rage on the Jump City shore in a way that indicates it (rather ironically considering the nature of the monster it's based upon) can't swim.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': In "Phobia Factor", Trent has to face his fear of mimes when he gets chased by one. He runs away, with the mime in hot pursuit, and jumps off the dock into the waters surrounding the island. The mime prepares to jump in too, but stops when Trent points out that his makeup will run. The mime walks away in defeat and Trent earns a point for his team for conquering the day's challenge.
* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In the episode "The Birdbot of Ice-catraz." Leela, Fry, and Bender flee a flock of bloodthirsty penguins. Bender breaks off a section of ice for them to escape on, but the penguins are obviously only momentarily delayed before diving into the water and continuing the chase ("Oh, right, they can swim. It's all coming back to me now.")

** Surtlings take enormous amounts of damage when in contact with water. This leads to players digging out the ground beneath their spawn points so they die as soon as they spawn... leaving behind coal and cores.