Among the Jamaicans closely monitoring the track of Tropical Storm Melissa are surfing enthusiasts on the southeast end of the island who are watching the horizon, not in fear, but for the powerful waves that the storm may bring.

“This is our type of season,” founder of the Jamnesia Surf Club in Bull Bay, St Andrew, Billy ‘Mystic’ Wilmot, told Observer Online on Thursday during a visit to the area.

According to the veteran surfer, the hurricane period provides the perfect conditions for surfing, as it brings large waves to shore.

“We always look forward to the hurricane season. It will send the waves from far away. It doesn’t have to be close to us; it can be two to three hundred miles away,” he said.

Wilmot, however, shared that he hoped Melissa would stay a far enough distance from Jamaica to facilitate ideal conditions for the extreme sport – lots of waves, not too much wind.

Ivah Wilmot goes surfing at the Wickie Wackie Beach in Bull Bay, St Andrew on Thursday, October 23, 2025. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

“We welcome the wave, but we don’t want the breeze. We rather the section with the wind is further away from us cause the wave can travel a long distance away from us but if the eye of the hurricane comes close, the wind strong and we can’t surf,” Wilmot said.

“See like how now we don’t have no wind but the wave breaking, this is the perfect condition. When the breeze is blowing hard that is no good for surfing,” he added.

Jamaica is under a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch as the centre of Tropical Storm Melissa moves slowly across the Caribbean Sea. At 7:00 pm Thursday, the centre of Tropical Storm Melissa was located about 224 kilometres (139 miles) south-southeast of Morant Point, Jamaica or about 260 kilometres (165 miles) south-southeast of the capital Kingston.

When Observer Online visited Jamnesia on Thursday, a group of youngsters were observed resting after a morning of surfing at the Wickie Wackie Beach in the area.

Founder of the Jamnesia Surf Club in Bull Bay, St Andrew, Billy ‘Mystic’ Wilmot speaks with the Jamaica Observer at the Wickie Wackie Beach in Bull Bay, St Andrew on Thursday, October 23, 2025. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

This, however, didn’t prevent Danielle Mattis and Ivah Wilmot, son of Billy Wilmot, from catching a few waves.

When quizzed about how he’s preparing for the weather system, Wilmot shared: “Well, we have to take up everything that can blow away, that’s all, and gwaan surf until the condition gets too heavy.

“As long as the hurricane is not affecting us, we will be surfing,” he declared.

He also expressed that he is hopeful that there will be no loss of life or damage to properties as a result of the storm.

Bull Bay, like other low-lying areas across the island, is prone to flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. Hurricane Beryl, which affected the island in July of last year, resulted in damage to several homes and caused a build-up of debris on the shoreline in the area.