Wahoo Reef weather station
Sunday, July 14, 2024
Temperature: 92
Humidity: 71%
Precipitation: Hahahaa
Tag Archives: On Wahoo Reef
Bogus Labyrinth Angers Blacktip Island Residents
A walkable labyrinth, modeled after the famous labyrinth at the Chartres Cathedral in France, has Blacktip Island residents angry due to its irritating pattern and unexpected dead end far from the center. (photo courtesy of Egorova Svetlana)
Blacktip Island residents were angered this week while walking a four-axis labyrinth, near the small Caribbean island’s Heritage House, with an emotionally-disturbing pattern and an unexpected dead end that aggravates users instead of calming them.
“It looks like a regular labyrinth, like the one in Chartres, but with a whacky path” Alison Diesel said. “Then, once you start walking it, instead of making you chill, it starts to get irritating. By the time you get to the dead end, which is nowhere near the center, you’re good and pissed off.
“These things are supposed to bring people inner peace,” Diesel said. “This one does the total opposite. And there’s no warning about that. It’s obvious it was done on purpose. That’s a dirty, rotten trick.”
The labyrinth’s creator defended the design.
“It’s a lesson for people to not expect things to work out the way they want,” the former-reverend Jerrod Ephesians said. “Folks think life is all about order and happiness, when it’s really semi-controlled chaos. The message here is to get used to disappointment. There’s no magic pill, or magic path, that’ll somehow make you happy.
“Yes, the pattern is intentionally annoying to walk,” Ephesians said. “That’s the point. People comes here all smug and self-satisfied, and they get a sharp wake-up call. Frustrating? Short-term, sure. But long-term it’s beneficial. And people are still coming by to walk it, even knowing what’ll happen. Some people aren’t content unless they’re discontent. It’s part of the human condition.”
Island officials discussed removing the labyrinth as a public safety hazard.
“Jerrod’s right—some people can’t resist that damn thing,” de facto island mayor Jack Cobia said. “Problem is, it’s got everybody here hacked off, and taking it out on folks around them. There’s been fights because of it, and one threatened divorce. We put a big tarp over it, but folks keep pulling it off and walking the thingy anyway, like rubbing salt in their wounds.
“We’re looking at the feasibility of tearing the damn thing up,” Cobia said. “But it’s painted on concrete, so that’ll be pricey to rip out. Our other option’s to paint over it and somehow keep Jerrod from redoing it. It’s not doing the island, or anyone here, any good. He ought to be ashamed of himself, having been a preacher and all.”
Some island residents opposed the labyrinth’s destruction.
“It’s a hoot, watching people melt down doing something they know is going to aggravate them,” Chrissy Graysby said. “We bring chairs and sun umbrellas and make a day of it. The kiddos especially like razzing walkers when they hit that dead end and have a meltdown. It’s great family fun.”
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Weather
Wahoo Reef weather station
Sunday, July 7, 2024
Temperature: 91
Humidity: 70%
Precipitation: None today
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Weather
Wahoo Reef weather station
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Temperature: 89
Humidity: 68%
Precipitation: Imminent
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Power Outages Spawn Illegal Betting Pools
Blacktip Island residents have started on-the-sly betting operations concerning the Caribbean island’s aging generator’s frequent power outages. (photo courtesy of Taurus Emerald)
The recent rash of power outages on Blacktip Island has resulted in an unofficial, illegal betting industry on the small Caribbean island, with residents placing wagers on the date and time of the next outages.
“When we had power problems a while back, there was an official lottery to raise money for the power plant,” Kay Valve said. “This is a different critter all together. Folks are placing bets on the sly, unofficially, and pocketing their winnings. Whoever guesses closest to the precise date-and-time takes all. Who’s organizing it, and who’s betting, no one’ll say officially.
“Near as we can tell, the betting venue changes regularly, to keep one step ahead of the law,” Valve said. “No one’s sure exactly how much money’s involved, but with the damn-near daily outages, there has to be a ton of cash being passed under the table.”
Island authorities are attempting to crack down on the gambling.
“Wagering of any kind is illegal in the Tiperon Islands,” Island Police Constable Rafe Marquette said. “We can turn a blind eye to the occasional ‘I bet you $10,’ one-off sorts of bets, but something this large in scale can’t be allowed to continue.
“The big worry now is bad actors sabotaging the plant for financial gain,” Marquette said. “And if off-island gangs get involved, we could have rolling blackouts for the foreseeable future, with Blacktippers’ money being funneled elsewhere.”
Most island residents claimed ignorance.
“There’s rumors of gambling, sure, but this little rock is a rumor factory,” Gage Hoase said. “Ninety percent of ‘em are bogus. But if we get lemons with all these outages, can’t blame folks for making some lemonade. There’s stories of folks making unofficial side bets, too, but, I reckon the first rule of power-outage betting is don’t talk about power-outage betting.”
Others put a positive spin on the outages.
“I make the best of the power failures,” Chrissy Graysby said. “I can now reprogram my stove and microwave clocks in total darkness. And losing power makes you slow down, really, and enjoy just sitting and being, like our ancestors did. Modern island life can get so hectic, can’t it?”
Marquette noted the gambling has self-regulated on a small scale.
“Apparently all power plant workers are banned from betting, so those folks are in the clear in my investigations,” he said. “Seems Stoney MacAdam won three times in a row at the beginning of all this, and everybody knew he was playing dirty pool. That resulted in Stoney and three others in the medical clinic.
“And, though gambling is illegal, if I were a betting man, my money’d be on 11:16 tomorrow morning,” Marquette added.
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Weather
Wahoo Reef weather station
Sunday, June 6, 2024
Temperature: 86
Humidity: 74%
Precipitation: Soon come
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Resort Unveils Underwater Bocce Court
Bocce, the Italian bowling game increasingly popular around the world, will get a new twist with Eagle Ray Cove resort’s underwater bocce pitch. (photo courtesy of Lomrjyo)
Blacktip Island’s Eagle Ray Cove resort this week unveiled a new underwater bocce ball court near the Eagle Ray Divers boat dock, aiming to attract more visitors to the small Caribbean island.
“Bocce’s all the rage these days, and we thought we’d take the next logical step with it,” Eagle Ray Cove owner Rich Skerritt said. “If it’s that popular topside, underwater’ll make it even better. We built the court up in the hardpan, where the balls roll better. We tried it in the sand, but they just stopped wherever they landed.
“To make it work underwater, we melted lead weights and cast them into three-pound balls,” Skerritt said. “We also ground the limestone substrata smooth for the perfect court surface. There’s already been tons of interest in it, from locals and tourists.”
Some long-time residents were skeptical of the idea.
“It’s a fad, like everything else like this on Blacktip,” Donna Requin said. “It’ll be Flavor of the Month until people get bored and switch to something else. It’s like when half the island was training for the Boston Marathon. Or the sand sledding. Give it a few months and people will have forgotten it.”
Others were concerned about the activity’s environmental impact.
“There’s all sorts of fragile sea life on the hardpan,” Marine Parks spokesperson Val Schrader said. “Rich’s folks destroyed them all grinding down viable ecosystems to make a level court. And what damage did the silt from this atrocity do to the surrounding reefs?
“And on top of that, they’re going to have people walking on the sea bed,” Schrader said. “What the court construction didn’t kill, weighted boots will. And flying balls leeching lead into the ocean is an environmental nightmare.”
Skerritt brushed that criticism aside.
“People aren’t seeing how this is the future,” he said. “This is Blacktip’s chance to claim the global forefront in resort amenities. It’ll take our already-stellar tourism product to the next level. We’re on the cusp of becoming the epicenter of the underwater bocce world. Not even Tiperon has this.
“We’re looking at building a new, underwater bocce-centric resort down the coast,” Skerritt said. “We’ll have fresh- and salt-water courts, to appeal to everyone. The idea’s to eventually host an annual underwater bocce championship. The ball’s in our court, and we have to roll with it.”
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
