As you know, I’ve just got back from a couple of weeks in sunny Lanzarote.

One day, I was at the beach in Playa Blanca, feet up, enjoying a bit of sunshine and the sound of the waves – finally switched off for once. The beach was lovely. Golden sand. Water so clear you could see your toes… Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a couple of police cars rock up and the coppers get out. Next thing you know, they’re taping off the beach. What’s happened? I thought… a theft, an abduction, a murder? Nope. Turns out, the water “wasn’t clean enough” for swimming.

Now, I’ve seen what dirty water looks like. I live in the UK, remember? Our seas are a solid grey all year round. But this? This water was clearer than a freshly polished pint glass. Still, rules are rules. The local authorities taped off the water, told people they could still sunbathe, but swimming was off-limits. Well… sort of. Turns out, just 400 metres down the beach, the water was deemed perfectly fine. People were swimming, paddling, having the time of their lives. So what’s going on? No idea. 

But the bit that made me chuckle was that the UK press had a field day. “Chaos in Lanzarote!” “Hundreds stranded!” “Beaches SHUT DOWN!” Didn’t mention the sun was shining. Or that everyone was laughing, chatting, sipping sangria. No one was stranded. No one was panicking. Most didn’t even move – they just shuffled a few yards along and cracked on. Definitely not chaos. 

But I guess that’s the thing, isn’t it… you can’t believe everything you read. Whether it’s in the papers, on social media, or whispered at the school gates – stories get twisted. Drama gets clicks. Outrage sells. But often, the reality’s a lot more relaxed. And it reminded me a bit of our world in freight. Sometimes, customers hear horror stories – delays, lost containers, problems at ports – and they panic, thinking there’s chaos… when in reality, it’s just the press making a big deal out of nothing. You can’t always trust the headlines. Sometimes what looks like chaos from the outside is actually just a bunch of happy sunbathers shifting down the beach and cracking on with their day.

So now I’m curious… Ever had a moment where the story didn’t quite match the reality? Something that looked like drama but turned out to be a total non-event? Hit reply and let me know. I could do with a laugh!