A few days ago . . .

We we anchored in the Longboat anchorage, north end of Longboat Key. We decided to take the dinghy to the beach to watch the sunset. We do this very often. We never miss a sunset if its visible. There were a few boats in Longboat Pass viewing. There was no one else on the beach.

Kim and I witnessed the Green Flash for the very first time. We both clearly saw it. It felt magical. We decided it was some sort of good luck charm or omen of good things to come. Later we heard from friends on Anna Maria Island, just a few miles away, had witnessed it too.

I posted on my personal Facebook page about seeing it. To my surprise, someone called me a liar! I also mentioned it on my fanpage. Someone there said “It’s a myth”. I was shocked by these comments. We saw the dang thing! I guess there are those who don’t believe it’s real, but let me tell you – It Is A Real Thing.

I did not actually get a picture of the Green Flash, but this was a split second before:

A quick search of Google Images results in plenty of Green Flash captures;

Even Youtube has several good videos that clearly show a Green Flash:

And from Widipedia:

Green flashes and green rays are optical phenomena that sometimes occur right after sunset or right before sunrise. When the conditions are right, a green spot is visible above the upper rim of the disk of the sun. The green appearance usually lasts for no more than a second or two. Sometimes (rarely) the green flash can resemble a green ray shooting up from the sunset (or sunrise) point. Green flashes occur because the atmosphere can cause the light from the sun to separate out into different colors. Green flashes are a group of phenomena which stem from slightly different causes, and therefore some types of green flashes are more common than others.^[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash

 

Anyway, we feel blessed to have witnessed this rare phenomena. Someone on my FB page brought up an interesting point. They said they had seen it, but they’ve watched thousands of sunsets. Most people don’t take the time, or are in the position to see so many, so often. One of the wonders of life aboard is the ability to observe sunsets almost every single day. We celebrate them. We take joy in them. We’ve seen thousands too. We are thankful to have actually witnessed the Green Flash. To all the doubters . . . pppffffffffffffffffttttttttttttttt!