What is The Dark Wave?
It's a club night like you've never seen before. Escape the confines of the venue and breathe in the mystery of the ocean air. Explore blacklight realms in the intertidal zone. Reel up something unknown from the murky depths.
What is The Dark Wave really?
A few art nerds that love to go to goth clubs and also like to fish, along with a few more of their friends that are curious about either fishing or goth music. A big bluetooth speaker, some blacklights, and a lot of frozen anchovies.
The Beginning
In October or 2020, the world was sheltering-in-place and gatherings were not allowed. The first Dark Wave was called "Fishing with the Skids" and was inspired by the characters on Letterkenny, loitering and dancing behind the Dollar Store. Fishing was already the perfect covid-safe activity - outdoors with a breeze and plenty of space. We missed the goth club terribly, and created an excuse to have a mini event.
Photograph by Benttinen.com
The Spooky Feeling
As The Dark Wave becomes a recurring event and not just a weird birthday party, we have developed a mission - to cultivate "THE SPOOKY FEELING". It's the feeling you had as a child when you went trick-or-treating, or snuck into the forest at night. Being up after bedtime in a place that looks and feels different than the in the day. As adults, we spend so much time going out to nightclubs in the city, so even though we put on costumes and makeup, it no longer stirs up that full body feeling that SOMETHING COULD HAPPEN.
The place where the water meets land is a liminal zone where something could actually happen. It's a place that changes with the time of day, cycle of the moon, and time of year. It's somewhere many of us still feel magic to be there at night. You can't know for sure what's tugging on the other end of your fishing line.
Safe Space in an Unsafe Space
The Dark Wave is an inclusive gathering that will not tolerate racism or prejudice of any kind. Many of our locations will be accessible to all abilities and all skill levels as they are public piers. The earlier portions of the evening are likely kid friendly if you would like to bring your child or teenage baby-bats. Alcohol is not the focus of the night, and people who indulge excessively will not be invited to return. We are here to fish, dance, and chat.
Our gathering also has inherent dangers that you should be aware of. Fishing always carries a risk of injury. You could be cut, bitten, or hooked. You could fall off a rock or be swept away by a wave. You could be the target of some drunk asshole looking for a fight. Stay aware of your surroundings and take care of one another, just like you would anywhere else at the whims of nature.