Discover the Joy of a Live Webcam
Go anywhere in the world.
And relax…
In stark contrast to my last post, this type of viewing will actually lower your heart rate…
One of the most refreshing mini breaks I’ve ever taken, was in fact in my own living room during lockdown.
Work was non-stop but I recognised that I needed to take some kind of holiday, albeit just time away from the business.
So I took a long weekend off and tried to ‘pretend’ I was on holiday!
One of my favourite things to do on holiday is read, so I thought I’d do a lot of that to try and capture the holiday vibe.
However, what I really love to do is pause from my book, look up, and gaze at the Caribbean Sea, gently massaging the beach as the waves go in and out all day long.
Aaaaaah.
Not just the view, but the sound too, literally hypnotises you into relaxation.
I was aware that you could put a roaring log fire or an aquarium up on your TV screen via the gift of YouTube, but until then I wasn’t aware of the plethora of Live Webcams from around the world that are also at our finger tips.
It’s a modern miracle!
Much to my astonishment, people have filmed 4-8 hour stints of a perfect beach from a static camera, so you get the same effect as if you’re lying on a sunbed for the day.
That same but different repetitive noise, that same but different view, every time you glance up. I love it!
After much searching of all things ‘tropical beach’ I found the perfect one (above), which has a good combination of waves, beach and palm trees. The holy trinity.
If you can find one that has a fallen leaf or bit of driftwood you’ve really hit the jackpot…
“It’s going to make land this time.”
“Oooooh noooo, it’s going back out.”
“Here it comes again!
“Surely it’ll stay on the beach.”
“Argh! Back out it goes.”
A dialogue that I’m sure your Inner Monologue loves to indulge in when on holiday.
Rather than the more common narrative of…
“That windsurfer is going to fall off now.”
“Yes he has.”
Imagine the thrill of watching one of those picture perfect beach scenes for two hours or more and then one of the palm fronds fell on to the beach, or even a coconut!?!
After which it spent another hour dancing with the waves, forwards and backwards, then forwards and backwards in the ultimate tease out to sea.
Why is it so mesmerising?
You can also use these Live Webcams for checking up on the local weather prior to a holiday.
Although, be warned, if the scene that greets you is less than perfect, it does become a little obsessive.
Still raining?
Yup.
And once you discover the joy of the beach view, why not go underwater?
There are LiveCams stationed under the water so you can just watch the fishes swim by too!
It’s worth noting that I have just spent a solid 20 minutes watching fish and manatees swim past a camera here.
Aren’t manatees the most relaxed creatures you’ve ever seen?
What I haven’t managed to find yet, is one that has a view as if you’re looking over a jetty or off the deck of a water bungalow.
That I think would be the holy grail of LiveCams, there is nothing quite like the suspended anticipation of what might swim past.
Or the crushing dispair of mis-identifying what you’d hoped to be a turtle coming into view, only to realise it’s far more likely to be static coral. Sigh.
The sheer number of hours, I’ve spent looking out into crystal clear waters on holiday, in the hope of spotting something ‘big’, which in those shallows, would at best mean a baby shark, or a small ray, or a little turtle.
These creatures usually make themselves known the second one of you goes inside to find your glasses/suncream/Fanta… and of course have always vanished by the time you return back out, summoned by the shrieking of your partner!
Shark! Ray! Turtles!
They will of course, proffer a very dodgy photo of said vision, but it’s not the same as seeing it majestically glide by yourself.
Why is staring at the sea, at the end of a jetty and seeing one solitary fish swim by ultimately more rewarding than looking into a man-made aquarium and seeing loads of fish swim by?
Back to the beach…
I’m also happy to report that whilst ‘tirelessly researching’ these lovely Live WebCam scenes, my Fitbit has reported a consistent drop in heart rate.
Perhaps it’s something we should all be doing for half an hour a day, just to chill out.
I would imagine the gentle noise of the ocean going back and forth would be the perfect accompaniment to a spot of meditation, not just a few more chapters of your latest book.
So if you’re planning on a spot of reading in a room with a telly, go on and try it!
I can happily report, that despite being a full eight minutes late to my self-imposed publishing schedule, I’m not in the slightest bit stressed about it. Aaaahhhhhh.
Toodles!
K8x
Join in the comments below:
Do you ever watch these Live Webcams?
If so, why? Animals? Weather?
Please put links to any fabulous ones you’ve found in the comments below.
Thank you for being here, please ❤️ (below) if you enjoyed this piece, it really helps others find it.
Loving the tropical beach cam - takes me back to 2007 when I joined my Dad in Barbados for 3 nights 4 days. He was there for two weeks but that was all I could afford! But it was totally worth it to be lulled to sleep every night by the sound of the warm sea crashing on to the sand just outside my bedroom window. Thank you for transporting me back to Paradise!