Yeah, that is what it was. Orange County, and the town capped the surf school market at "3". And the surf school won the argument that a local municipality cannot hinder an American entrepreneur's ability to operate. Since there are no laws in place, the town really had no legal standing to do it in the first place. In SC, there are state and county laws that only allow, for example: 6 liquor stores in Beaufort County owned by one company. Or the classic one on Hilton Head Island. We only have 1 titty bar. And years ago, they passed a law stating that there can only be one. At that specific address, so if they every lose their licensing, there will be 0 strip clubs.
In Florida, there is a state law that only allows, let's say "250 slot machine parlors" in the state, with a total of only $25,000 machines or whatever.
But shit like that is all regulated on the state, county and federal level, so if there is no precedent set in the actual laws, the town, county or state has no right to infringe on you.
It's like in Charleston if they woke up one day and said, you know what? We have enough food trucks. No more... That is illegal. You have to pass that legislation or vote on it before taking that kind of action...
Or, "We have enough fishing charters on Hilton Head Island, no more"... It doesn't work that way...
So, yeah, I am no fan of the "surf school" as it were, but if that is your jam, and you can make money. Do it....
You know it was some rich and powerful local surfer on the town council that passed the cap on 3 surf schools to begin with. "Locals Only Bro! It's too crowded anyway"... Guarantee you that is how this all started.
Just like those fuck sticks up at "The Ranch" in California that have been pretending that they all live on holy land and harass people and try and block access to the land and the waves.... Fuck those guys....
That is the one thing I did love about California. No matter where it is. From San Diego, all the way up the coast, if it's not a military base, EVERYONE in the public has access to the beach. No matter what. Elon Musk can buy 2 miles of land on the coast, but he cannot block access to the beaches in front of his homes. In any way....
On Hilton Head Island, it's different. They technically can't block access to the sand itself, but everything along the coast is "gated communities and plantations" so in order to get public access, you have to park 3 miles down the shorelines and walk or bike up to those areas. Quite a work around, but California has always done a great job preventing bullshit like that....
And it fucking beach breaks in Orange County. There can be 100 surf schools there.
You definitely won't see surf schools at WindNSea or Sunset Cliffs, or at many other places. Not because there are laws against it, but because you would get vibed out of the water and your surf school van would have flat tires in the parking lot when you finished up.
And this is kind of on topic, but not.... There is a big debate around here, and one of my buddies. Ex-pro surfer. The dude that invited me to Indo last year. All he does is travel and score, but when he is home here, he runs a surf school and a fishing charter business.
So basically, the local laws state that "commercial use of public boat ramps and docks in prohibited". Period. Simple. If you are taking people fishing for money, and you are licensed, you cannot use public boat ramps. Pretty simple. Well my buddy and a bunch of other charters are trying to argue that they should have access to public ramps and docks and that this law prohibits small local businesses from operating within budget.....
And generally, I wouldn't care, but before we sold our boat two years ago, we took it out all the time. And I can't tell you how many times I have seen charter captains cut in line and just roll up on the dock or ramp. I have seen physical altercations over it... It's like because they are doing it as a business, they somehow have priority. It was illegal for them to do it in the first place, but they are dicks about it.... They are supposed to be low key about it... It happened all the time. So to this point, I say fuck the charters. No access to public landings. It's a shit show already. All of us waiting in line. Parking is a bitch.... Fuck those guys. You want to run a charter business, pay for a slip in a commercial marina and do it the right way...
This is kind of like the surf camp thing, but the laws AGAINST the charters are already in place, so they will never get my vote or support on the matter.
If you have a food truck, or anything like that, you have to pay for licenses, insurance, permits and you HAVE to have a grade A commercial kitchen to do food prep out of. AND IT CAN'T BE YOUR HOUSE. You have to pay someone with brick and mortal and do it all the right way. You can't just make tomales at your grandmas house and sell them out of your truck. And if you are a licensed charter boat, you can't use public docks to run your business. Pretty simple. You also can't park your food truck in the Walmart parking lot or in the town park without permission. So why would a charter boat get a free pass? nonsense I say.
I honestly don't know the rules around here lol, I see the surf schools, I see the yoga classes, but I don't get mixed up with them or subject myself to that kind of abuse haha, but I honestly don't think they are a huge issue around here, maybe because I'm usually in the water before the sun even thinks of coming up, or maybe it's shear luck, idk. I do think if there's a limit wave resource, they should cap them, but who decides what is and isn't a "limited wave resource". Brevard is so wide open, there's inifite options for them to go and not be in the way at the better spots or in a lineup of experienes srufers.
I do think it's the intructors responsibility to keep them from being in the way or a hazard, but I know how that can go at some spots. Worst offender I ever saw was at Maria's in Rincon PR though. That mixed with a large number of tourist surfers had the locals really pissed off and they were barking at everybody. I had people say stuff to be the minute I entered the water just because, but I looked them dead in the face and told them to fuck off and kept it moving lol, probably not smart, but I aint no punk, so yeah. I went on had a great session and watched them cry the whole time to people. But I get it, surf schools can really be a bummer.
But for me, that was like my 5th or 6th trip down, I was cool with a bunch of the locals, but these mouthy ones I never saw before, so probably some wannabes other than the one dude who was really good on the LB. He didn't bark at me, but he was giving some other dudes an ear full and ran them off the peak, fucked the vibe up but order was restored, so in this case, it didn't sound good but it worked.
Yeah, it's up to the instructors to select decent spots and keep everyone safe. I think the rules include like "1 instructor in the water with 4 students maximum at a time" and things like that. Last week, when my son and I were done surfing the main peak up by the guard tower, we walked down to the folly/rivermouth on the south end of the beach. And as we got to the very south end, I saw that a surf school was out in the water. But they made a point to go the furthest possible point of the beach to do it....
And a place like Marias, should never have a surf school. Like when I mentioned that you will see camps in San Diego in Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and La Jolla Shores. But you will NEVER see one in Ocean Beach, or LJ Reefs, or Blacks or Sunset Cliffs. There were no rules against it, but those are loc'ed out, crowded, dangerous spots. So the surf schools just weren't stupid about it.... If you paddle out at the OB Pier with a surf school, the students will all get run over and the instructors will get their asses kicked....
Natural order and all that....
Doing a surf school at a big named spot in PR like that is just stupid. Like is akin to "Hey, let's start the North Shore, Pipeline surf school"... Yeah, good luck with that. Just because you "can" do something, doesn't mean you should....
And I look at it like this: If I could make a decent living off of running a surf school around here, and be in the water all spring/summer and fall, and all that, I would start doing it tomorrow.... Or if I could run a profitable surf shop, I would do that... Can't knock the hustle. And if it's something that you love, DO IT.... Just be respectful....
The guys that run the surf camps here are the OGs. I mean, these guys have been surfing their whole lives here. They are out on every hurricane swell, or traveling the world. So they do an incredible job of staying out of the way, sharing the stoke and teaching the etiquette side of things long before anyone gets in the water....
I just don't want to hear about some asshole in Orange County bitching because his shitty beach break has too many surf camps in the summer. The entire SoCal coast line is riddled with kooks and tourists and shitty surfers on foam boards. It's been that way for 30 years. Get over it. It's already too late....
Further more. If you are surfing the same spot as a surf camp in SoCal, you sir, are a kook to begin with. There is a reason they are at that beach, because the surf is small and mushy and shitty. Period. So many California guys think they own the beach, or because their Dad lived in front of that reef break back in the 60s, that only you and your crew belong there. Those days are over boys. I paddled out at every loc'ed out spot in San Diego all the time for 10 years. Got a few stink eyes at first some times, but as long as you are polite, wait your turn and give up your position every once in a while to the locals, it's all good. I have never had anyone talk real shit to me, ever. Anywhere. And that is because, if you are riding a shallow slab reef on an overhead day, you are not a kook to begin with. A Kook wouldn't make it out to the lineup, much less trade waves with you.... But you will also never see a surf school there for that very reason. First wipeout could be a spinal injury.... But if it's some mushburger beach break, in Orange County, or anywhere for that matter, it is what it is bro.
Like, DP, for example. Say one of your go to beach breaks that has easy access to, all of the sudden has a surf school there every day... Are you going to paddle out and vibe them all day. Yelling at the instructors and what not? I assume the answer is no. Because you are an actual surfer, and you would take one look at it and be like hrmm... "I have 10 other spots that I can go to right now where there will be no surf schools. No parking. Whatever. Less crowds"
Yeah for sure, I was in shock when I saw the surf school at Maria's, never saw it before that, it's just gotten so blown up over the years, everybody thinks they should have their chance to surf there, and they should, when they earn it lol, fuck man, so many people just in the way. The number of middle aged women getting into surfing now is revolting, I love the wahines, but these ladies are just so god awful. Then the older beginners who feel entitled because of all the money they've invested. I always stayed humble, wouldn't hit certain spots until I felt I worked my way up and didn't just go right to 1st peak and pretend I'm somehow welcome or entitled. I took scraps on the waves nobody wanted or someone fell or blew or kicked out and left a section or two down the line that they could have had, then slowly worked my way closer to the peak as openings in the lineup happened, but never tried being a bull in a China shop in any situation where I'm travelling. Around here? I do my thing, and most everybody knows me or of me and I get my space most of the time. The ONLY time it gets bad when people you never see swarm the spot suddenly, and in those cases I'm liable to regulate if something really bad is happening, but mostly I just look to empty peaks and "lesser" spots and can still shred and not worry about it. I don't "need" a top spot in order to get good waves. There's so many good waves that go unridden at the lesser spots that are just as good as a good wave at the "better" spots. I try to get the better spots when nobodies on them and hit the lesser spots when everybody is on them, and I stay stoked 99% of the time.
This is unrelated, but this one is for Unfurld, since he surfs in Folly all the time. Folly Beach was ranked the second worst beach town in the US for theft or property. I never would have guessed that. I would like his view on that topic, since he lives up there....
They went on to defend other SC beaches as being so safe. But the data on this particular study was also based on the average of daiy residents. So, Myrtle Beach got an A+, but that is simply because there are little to no residents that actually live at the beach in Myrtle. All time shares and hotels, so that doesn't really factor the same way.
And they said the safest beach town in the US, is also in the Charleston Area. But it is Kiawah Island. And many of you probably have no idea what that is, but it's a private, gated island. Not open to the public. You can get a $1,200 per night stay at "The Spa" hotel there and they will let you in, but other than that, it's blocked completely to the public. It's also the most expensive beach real estate in America. We stay in there once a year and rent a big house because we have a restaurant outside the gates, in the Marina that we share with them. But there are gates inside of gates. If you drive to the Ocean Course, where they do the PGA CHampionship every couple of years, you travel through multiple gates. So, does it surprise me that it's "The safest beach town"? No, because it's a private island, so it doesn't fucking count.
@zach619 buddy shot me the link. I said you're the fucker i've seen rob me of a few good waves
Guess we are under a hurricane watch, got a Cat 1/tropical storm going to graze us saturday. Fortunately, swell should be wrapped up by then…
Here is a great one. Not sure if you guys heard about this... But at any rate, a lot of the South American Cartels will stamp celebrity labels on kilos of cocaine. It let's the buyer know that this in fact their shipment and it also tags a label on the streets, so if something goes wrong in the shipping, and it still ends up on the streets, the Cartels will know who has their drugs...
Anyway, it's a common practice.
But Haaland, our Futbol hero of the World Cup knows that he finally made it. Their was a seizure of over 800 pounds of cocaine, and it was all stamped with our Boy Haaland. The article said, you know you made it when you get stamped all over kilos of cocaine.
@zach619 that's pretty good, bro. Viking Snow. Like havin a star on that sidewalk in California. My daughter sent me a buncha sidewalk star pics during her last adventure. Of course, Queen Latifah. 😁
Yeah, Haaland has joined the ranks of "Messi, Putin, Trump, Taylor Swift and even Corona Virus" as famous name stamps on Kilos of booger sugar. He is truly a viking king.
Didn't realize they were gonna tear down the Hatteras Lighthouse. Last time i was up there, a couple winters ago it was an absolute bust. Metal scraps along that lighthouse and debris had that area taped off. Didn't matter, there were no waves all along Buxton. They'll eventually add groins there. But till then, i'm gonna need to see some proof it's worth going up there. Was very disappointed in what I saw and haven't heard anything special in a long time of it reaching its potential. Till then, it's Jeanette's Pier and up north for me once I get back that ways
That Surfer Mag article just wasn't proofread. They are tearing out First Jetty (the steel groin next to the lighthouse) and will be rebuilding it this fall. How they management to write the "Cape Hatteras Lighthouse to be Torn Down" headline is wild.
@mitchell that's pretty f'd up haha. Last time i was up there it was for repairs on lighthouse, figured they saw foundation problems or sumtin. Ok, seems like everything else tracts tho. Hopefully the rebuild proves fruitful waves-wise
So, I got a wild one for you buoys. I am in the kitchen last night, prepping dinner. Wife is standing next to me, and I see her staring at me, then she moves closely and is inspecting the side of my face/head. I am like "WTF are you doing?". She says, I think there is something in your ear? I stop chopping and I am like, what? What are you talking about. Like a bug? She is like, I am not sure. It looks white. Let me look. So she starts sticking her long finger nail in my ear. I can't feel anything. She is like, well I feel something, but I can't get it. So I have her look again. What is it? Not sure. So I just blow it off and keep prepping dinner. When I am finished, I go in the living room and ask her to look at it again under a light. So, she looks under the light and she is like, "Yeah, there is something small and white in your ear. Like plastic or something."> I am like, WTF? So she goes and gets her tweezers. I lay down under the light and she goes in. Not a fan of this. Feels like she is digging in my brain. Finally, I can hear something click as she taps it, then I feel her lock onto something and she starts pulling it out...
Anyway, she finally pulls it out. It's the tip of a fucking Apple Airpod.... The newer airpod pros (2nd and 3rd gen) have disposable tips that you clip onto the ear pieces. It's the noise cancelling thing. The older airpods and the new airpod 4s don't have the tips.... So anyway, I am blow away, like WTF?
So, the real question is: How did this happen, and how did I not notice this?
So, I replaced the tips on my airpods about 8 months ago. But when I did so, each ear piece had the tip on it. I would have noticed. And since I replaced the tips, they are both still on there.
The only thing I can think of, is that a few weeks ago, I went to my Dad's house because they were having issues with his bluetooth sound bar/phone and airpods. I had to put his air pods on briefly to test them and fuck with the settings.
So, if it wasn't the tip of my Dad's airpods, that means that this thing could have been stuck in my fucking ear for over a year.
This was truly a What in the actual fuck moment. Even after she identified something in my ear, I couldn't feel it. I could hear find. Nada...
Fucking crazy.
Holy cow, that's crazy. Good thing for your wife's eagle eye vision, wow!
Yeah man. I have seen crazy foreign videos with people with bugs and small snakes and all kinds of shit coming out of an ear. And although it was just a small rubber ring, it was weird as fuck. Creeped me out after the fact, thinking about how I could have had all kinds of shit in there and not known about it....
As a follow up with my wife, I mentioned what a crazy poor design the apple airpods are with a removable rubber ring on the end of them all, getting jammed into people ears. I cannot be the first person that this has happened to. Crazy.
So, I just googled it. And yeah, I guess it happens to people all the time. Dozens of posts about ER visits and husbands and wife's having to remove them from each other ears. What a fucking shit show.... First world problems right here.
🤣
Folly Beach finally getting wrapped up with construction that has been on-going all year, fixing drainage issues. Business owners were pretty upset over the summer when some of those restaurants are seasonal. So onto the next issue, which is Surfline Coastal Technology that is supposed to help understand better the beaches/tides...kinda of a environmental thang. Well they want to place about 10 cameras on beachfront home. Mixed responses as you'd expect with all the hoopla about Flock cameras, which was despised by many at Folly about two years when installed. Not sure if you guys heard about it, but you can imagine all the side stories with Surfline getting involved
@unfurled Yeah, I have mixed feelings about that. I assume on the first hand you have: Folly is already the most crowded spot in South Carolina, we don't need 20 other assholes there every day because they have the cam access. And that is true to an extent. But fundamentally, I don't have a problem with surf cams. I understand the handful of spots in San Diego that are considered "off limits" for shit like that. Sure, there are a few. But otherwise, people surf. Every dude with a phone has access to the same information that we have. So, I don't think that having a surf cam is really going to move the needle to the point where crowds start being effected....
We have the reverse problem here. Every public beach here (Yeah, all 5 of them) have no visibility from the road or anywhere else. All private mansions in front of them. So no matter where you live, the only way to "check the surf" from anywhere on this island is to park and walk a trail and look yourself.
We used to have a cam on the Marriott Surfwatch that had a pre-coded cam that would zoom into all 5 sand bars and stretches of beach at my main break. It was SOOOO fucking useful. Anyway, Hurricane Florence took that one out and it never go replaced.
There is a solid cam about 1/2 mile north on top of the Westin. That usually gives me a good enough view of the surf, even though there is some northern blockage on that stretch of beach from an invisible sand bar that runs off the jetty into the Port Royal Sound. Anyway, that cam is completely fucked. It's been stuck playing an overnight loop from 2 years ago....
And then there was the MONEY cam. It's on top of a little restaurant that has impossible access. But it points right at the south side of our folly/rivermouth. So this has given us a true look at my actual spot....
Well, for a couple of years, that cam was featured on "surfline" as a free cam. About 2 years ago, surfline "bought" the cam, and made it so you can't access the cam from the restaurant any more and the only way you can EVER see it is to pay for a surfline membership....
So, at the end of the day, my ONLY beef with surfline is just that: I have no problem if surfline wants to buy access to cams on top of local surf shops and hotels. But when surfline pays extra for these places to shut off access to their guests and to the public, that is where I have the problem. The companies probably think: Well, we aren't catering to surfers. or whatever, but that shuts off free access to thousands of tourists that are visiting that want to look at the ocean or check your cams....
So, I don't have any problem with surlfine and their cams. I only have a problem when they try and hijack existing cams to monopolize access. That is a bitch move.
And since it appears that surfline is working with local government on this, I assume they won't be able to monitize the cams for themselves and will have to allow public access to them, which is fine....
Are 8 new cams on your spot great? Probably not.... But think of it this way: It will help you as much as it will help anyone else. You will be using it more often than some dude in Greenville that is checking the surf for the weekend.
Most of us make a decisions if we are going to go or not based on the data. The cams can give you an extra kick in the pants. Like for me yesterday: I was on the fence about going based on the mixed data, but I took one look at the cam and was like, yeah, I am going... So I think you will experience a lot of that, from people that would have been there anyway, rather than randos showing up because the cam looked good....
Just my opinion. And that is one that I have developed over the years, mostly when I was surfing in the most crowded spots on earth. That was everyone's beef on the west coast. For ever. "If they put a cam on the LJ reefs, people are going to crowd it"... No, they won't. You can either surf a spot like that or you can't. You won't even make the paddle out, much less get a wave... So that isn't a thing...
On my first surf forecasting site in San Diego, sixonenine.com back in the day. I received death threats when it released. Yes, people were mad about a few cams that I linked to, but those were public, so I was like, fuck off ya'll. We all use these anyway.
But what REALLY set everyone off was when I uploaded a "San Diego Surf Map".... Wow. That about started world war 3. So, trust me when I tell you, I left off ANYTHING that I thought was sacred. Nothing south of Chasms on Sunset Cliffs until you got to Dolphin Tanks or Ralphs....
People got mad that I put Ralphs on a surf map. Now, Ralphs is a novelty wave that is on the inside of the San Diego bay, right next to where they keep all the Navy Subs. Anyway, it only breaks on a straight South Swell and it is by boat access only. Every time it breaks, they put pictures in the local paper. It is NOT A SECRET. I mean, the old Sunset Cliffs heads were like "You have to take it down"....
I left a few off the LJ reefs too, but I still got slammed for having WindanSea on there.
It was fucking nuts. So I took the maps down, and left most of the cams. But the cam thing has been an ongoing debate for 30 years now. And IMO, it has never negatively affected the surfing world as a whole....
Yes, do a few more real surfers show up when it's good? Yes. They do. But just remember, unless you live right in front of the beach and can see it from your room, you are most likely going to be one of the people that shows up that day, because you checked the cam. But you woulda been there most likely anyway.
And for Folly specifically, I have a few cams linked in that area on my site. I don't think there is a great cam right at the Washout, but the cams already cover quite a bit of that area. So, unless they are putting one right on the main peak there, which they may be, I wouldn't worry too much about it....
If you see any of them, tell them to come to Hilton Head and install some cams to watch out crazy ass 10 foot tides. I will take as many as they can give me.
@zach619 i'm note sure if Surfline would offer cam footage thru being a member with those particular cameras. I think ppl are just more hesitant with the whole "big brother" watching. With flock, no reason for ppl not to be skeptical. Kinda bad timing on their part. Surfline no longer required with Surchex and now https://surfwashout.com/ Some Folly girls group put that cam on less than a year ago, and it's been working like a champ since
Oh, yeah. Gotcha. That is a whole different set of issues that I wasn't considering. I still stick to my original theory of "If ya ain't doing shit wrong, don't worry about it".... But that doesn't excuse the fact that regardless of what story you are trying to tell someone, that in the end, big brother can pull data and find out exactly where you are... But, they have had this same access with our cell phones and all that. If they really want to, they will track our every move. Even if you turn your phone off. Doesn't matter.
So, flock Cameras, to me, are just one of the first times that the general public is faced with understanding these things. Flock can just make things happen fast. And for now, I think that is okay....
If you commit a crime, yes, they can go back without Flock and track your ass with security cams, cell phones, apple watches, the GPS that is in your car that is always one. They will ALWAYS find out. ALWAYS....
With Flock, that data is just immediate.
So in my case, on the forth of July, we had a shooting on the beach. 7 total kids shot. Multiple shooters. They scatter, get in their cars. And in less than 5 minutes and in less than 2 miles away, all of them are grabbed, attested and charged. They hadn't even made it off the island. And that was all using real time FLOCK data...
So, unfortunately, the shit works.. And it works fast... That is really the only different to me....
And as far as general surf cams and beach cams and stuff, I get it. But trust me, the cops aren't going to be sitting there watching me surf all day in case I get barrelled. And they aren't going to see any license plate or any real data from that angle...
Now, the fact that Folly is the #1 theft beach in the country, leaves other questions to be answered. Like, if you are parallel parked in front of the washout. Some crack heads break into your car and steal some shit... Then yes, Cops can go back on those Flock surf cams and do their thing....
But to me, that is no biggie. Actually a good thing unless you are the junkie stealing the shit...
We shall see....
And ironically, there is a big deal going on here, because all of our County cop cars have these tinted license plate covers now, which specifically blocks FLOCK cameras from reading them. This is a new thing. And the cops are concealing their own vechiles to keep them out of the flock data bases. They claim to be doing this because they are worried about private or public access could lead to disclosing info about investigations and where officers are and what they are doing, if that data could be accessed by the public....
But that is a tricky one. Because they are covering their own information for the sake of security, but ours is out there for the taking. Interesting indeed.
Okay, so I didn't come prepared with links and sources and what not. I mean, if this conversation develops into anything, i will probably dig deeper, but for now, I will just come out and say this....
So, In the 1980s and 1990s, a guy named Ron Wyatt (A scientist and archeologist) was studying an mountain range in eastern Turkey called "Durupinar". There was a 300 meter long "ship/boat" shaped structure on the top/side of one of the mountains....
So, in the book of Genesis, Jesus tells Noah that he needs to build a ship in the length of 300 meters. Jesus also says in the bible that the final resting place for the ark was in near the Mount Ararat Mountains....
This is precisely where this particular discover was.
So, a couple of other notes about Wyatt. After his initial discovery of what he thinks is Noah's Ark, he traveled back to Jerusalem. He was in the garden tomb, in some area and found traces of blood. Now, Wyatt claims that the researchers on site were unable to run diagnostics on the dried, dead blood, but referred him to a few other local companies that could look at it for him.
Wyatt claims that the facility that he took it to said that they can't tell much from "dead" human blood other than confirming that it was from a human. But Wyatt claims that 2,000 years later, the sample of blood was found to still be "alive" and was able to be scanned and tested. He also claimed that he was there for the results, and there were 24 chromosomes in the blood. Now, there should be the following:
- 23 chromosomes from Dad, plus one more "X" chromosome
- 23 chromosomes from Mom, plus one more "X or Y" chromosome
So, he claims that this blood sample only had half of the DNA/Chromosomes in it, resulting in traces back to a biological mother, but no father.....
Again, these are claims that were never substantiated....
At the time in the 1980s and again in the 1990s, world wide research claims that what they think is an Ark, is actually just a rock formation...
So, that was the accepted theory.
Recently, researchers have gone back to the site and used modern imaging and technology to create a 3d render of what is beneath the earth. And what it shows is the entire hull of a ship, along with multiple rooms inside with an atrium.... There was a giant boulder in the middle of the ship, but that is explained as to have come from a rocks slide some 1,000+ years ago.....
So, why am I bringing this up? Well, because prior to right now, Turkey has never allowed anyone to disturb or drill into the site. Now, they have been approved to do so and people are over there right now digging down into it and getting samples......
So, what we most likely know: Is that there is an ancient ship, from thousands and thousands of years ago, stuck atop a mountain range, in the exact location in which Jesus described the final resting place for the ark. In other religious books, they ALL cite a massive flood around the same time, cleansing the earth etc....
So, I guess to that idea: Do we, as humans, agree that a flood of that magnitude DID happen? And with that said, there were a few large boats/ships that made it through?
Or, is this in fact an ancient artifact from the days of Noah?
At this point, I am not sure. But over the years, they have been able to compile evidence of the existence of this man named Jesus and many others in that time that were written about and spoken of...
But the question remains: Was Jesus a prophet? Was he the son of god? Or was he just a man speaking nonsense to anyone that would listen? I think that is the standing question for humanity and the human race. He was here, but what was he?
Were those stories TRUE, as it were, or were these just parables that were created to try and teach humanity peace, kindness and order?
Anyway, interesting stuff.
And even if they verify that this boat/ship was from that particular time, it leaves many more questions unanswered than answered.
Are there traces of animal DNA In it? What human DNA will they find? The way the bible describes it is that the animals "went to sleep" for 40 days and 40 nights, so maybe there was no elephant poop to carry up the stairs and toss overboard..... Who knows... Those are the details that seem rather inconsequential. But still....
I mean, regardless of how everything really played out, or what actually happened, if they find an Ark that is around 5,000 years old, in the exact spot that the old testament claims it to be.... That is a pretty fucking big deal.....
And by their dating and standards, this places Noah's Ark happening about 5,000 years ago, and roughly 1,500 years after what Christians consider: "The beginning of time on earth for humans as we know them".....
Interesting stuff.....
The comment sections are pretty split: Every Christian and true believer chimes in with: Told ya! Praise Jesus...
And the other half, the non believers are all like: This is just them getting more funding. They debunked this in the 1980s, 1990s and again in the 2000s. What is going to be so different now? We shall wait and see I suppose.
I believe what the Holy Bible says is true. I read it as the word of God, and I believe it happened as it was written. I don't think it's really a debate in my mind, but others can make up their own mind. I think if someone truly believes Jesus is the Lord and Savior, then it's kind of hard to "debunk" any of it IMO, but that's just me. Either it's all true or none of it is, and not really any gray area. Just my personal opinion. I recommend watching this though. Interesting stuff to add to your post.