If there’s anything in Singapore that’s predictable, it’s that people will gather in big numbers to see anything new in town.
Over the weekend, half of Singapore was queueing for Omega-Swatch watches, while the other half was apparently crowding at Changi Beach.
They were there to see the gorgeous neon blue waves crashing upon the beach.
However, they also caused a massive traffic jam on the roads leading there.
When a video was posted on Facebook earlier this week showing the captivating sight of blue waves crashing onto the shores of a beach in Singapore, netizens were inspired.
After all, the rare sight, due to bioluminescent planktons living in the waters, is a wonderfully unscripted natural phenomenon in Singapore, where most of our light shows are created for us.
Thus, it was also quite foreseeable that Singaporeans would want to visit the beach to see the blue waves during their first free time over the weekend.
A netizen who spent 4 hours at Changi Beach on Friday (25 Mar) night – from 10pm to 2am – managed to snap some cool shots.
However, another netizen, Mr Hayden Tan, who visited the beach on Saturday (26 Mar) night, was confronted not by blue waves but hordes of people instead.
Some of them seemed like they were ready to camp out overnight.
Of course, given that the bioluminescent planktons causing the blue glow are in the sand, large crowds stomping around may end up killing them.
Thus, it’s not surprising that those who visited said they didn’t get to see anything.
Besides thronging the beach, Singaporeans heading there also caused a massive snarl on roads that led to the area.
According to Mr Tan, the jam stretched all the way to Loyang.
It seems the bulk of the traffic was backed up at Loyang Avenue, the only major road leading to Changi Beach.
A netizen lamented that he and his friends were stuck in their bus for 40 minutes due to the congestion.
According to another visitor, drivers adding to the jam would have had a tough time finding a place to park, considering carparks 1 to 6 were all full, according to another visitor.
Travel writer Yap Seow Choong said he’d failed to find a carpark space in Changi Village after a long time due to the crowds.
He also added,
I underestimated the enthusiasm of Singaporeans.
The bioluminescent blue waves were a stunning sight for those lucky enough to catch them.
However, if we wish for more of such displays, we should also refrain from crowding to see them as our actions might ironically snuff them out.
That’s not to mention the danger caused by a lack of safe distancing in the context of the pandemic.
Hopefully, as more Singaporeans get to travel in the coming months, we’ll be able to witness more natural wonders abroad instead of being too thirsty for those on our shores.
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Featured image adapted from ngweide on TikTok and Hayden Tan on Facebook.
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