^8:8 And the second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood;

And the second angel sounded, and SOMETHING like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea;

This is difficult for John to describe; what he sees is "something" like a great mountain. This one is on fire, and clearly it lands in the sea. The literal view of this is that it is a meteorite hit on the earth (ocean). In John's time, the sea usually meant the Mediterranean Sea, but the Atlantic, Pacific, or Indian Oceans, as we know those bodies of water, are roughly a third of the earth's water. Hence, this burning meteorite could have hit any one of them. The consequences would be a tidal wave (estimated between 1000-2000 feet high) would cause much destruction of coastal property and life.

The symbolic view would indicate a great purging among godless mankind. Isaiah 57:20 says the wicked are like the tossing sea. The mountain could be a destroying nation as in Jeremiah 51:24-26. Or as in Daniel 2:31-35, Nebuchadnezzar's dream and its interpretation, Daniel 2:44-45, the nation is indicated as the Jewish nation and the Lord's coming empire.

and a THIRD of the sea became BLOOD;

The literal view would be that the meteorite caused a water heating with a tremendous growth of red colored plankton, for example. Be aware that this isn't BLOOD. Or it could be a naval battle with chemical warfare and actual BLOOD being spilled. Or, most likely, a THIRD of the sea will be turned into BLOOD using an undetermined method. Remember, this is God's judgment.

The symbolic view says this is a judgment of the spirit of mankind. The water and blood are the same as the spirit as indicated in 1 John 5:6-12. So this trumpet blast affects the spirit of a third of mankind.