The sunsets on our Gulf coast are the stuff of legends: Have you seen the Green Flash?

Excerpt from The Broadwater Breeze, Winter 2015 issue.

We couldn’t help but notice the amazing sunset pictures in the winter edition of The Broadwater Breeze newsletter, probably because we’re such big fans of sunsets. This was back in September and folks gathered out on the dock next to Maximo Seafood Shack to watch the spectacular show. The fact that the sun was setting right down the canal leading to the marina made it particularly exciting.

A Florida Gulf coast Green Flash

Sunsets along Florida’s Gulf coast are among the most acclaimed in the world and we’re all fortunate to be here. We’d guess most of our friends out on Tierra Verde and Vina Del Mar and Isla Del Sol and Bayway Isles would agree. Rituals abound surrounding the daily occurrence. Most days visitors and locals ring the bell at Pass-a-Grille Pavilion as the sun sinks below the horizon out over the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Beaches Historical Museum maintains a logbook with names of people who have participated.

Part of the lore of watching sunsets here is spotting the Green Flash. It’s a phenomenon that’s seen in other parts of the world but here it has been raised to the level of legend. It’s a mirage, really, occurring when the water is warmer than the air above it. It’s best seen on clear days after a cold front.

John D. MacDonald, the author of the Travis McGee adventure series set in Florida, wrote another book called A Flash of Green (1962), in which he used the term to refer not only to the phenomenon but also as a metaphor for crass over development in the Sunshine State. In 1984, the book was adapted for a movie of the same name. You can still find it on DVD. It’s interesting, though, that the Green Flash as it is depicted in the movie isn’t anything like the real event, which is very subtle. In the movie, it looks like a Green Armageddon. In case you’ve never seen the Green Flash, we took a still frame from a Gulf coast sunset we found on YouTube. As you can see, it’s a visually quiet event that could easily be missed if you blink. You can see the sunset video here.