Some Islanders find plenty of fish online, others find P.E.I. a shallow dating pool

With 17,000 single P.E.I. males(over age 15)and about 15,000 femalesaccording to Statistics Canada,a mathematician could probably calculate a near-infinitenumber of love matches.

But factor in the range of ages and the fact that many people could be relatedor have previously dated, and the results could be "slim pickings," even using online dating apps such as Tinder or Match.

• Dating for haters: The latest in the rise of the super-specific dating apps
• CBC FORUM I Does online dating make it easier to find a compatible partner?

No secrets

"I did run into friends' exes and my own exesthat's for sure," wrote Kacey Lamphier in response to my Facebook post asking if finding love online was trickier on P.E.I. "But never to the point where we ended up on a date together!"

From the very first meeting at Tim's I knew he was 'the one.' I am living a life I used to dream about.DarleneSherrenMacDougall

Lamphier, 29, who met her boyfriendof more than a year on Tinder, wrote a humorousblog post aboutusing the app on P.E.I., noting some Islanders are secretive and embarrassed about being on Tinder.

"Even if you think people don't know you are on it, guarantee someone does. You can't even get pulled over on P.E.I. without your Mom's neighbor's boss' brother's co-worker knowing about it," Lamphier wrote.

A few of her bad dates included her car breaking down on the highway in New Brunswick after a date and needing a new engine, one begging to kiss her all evening long while theywatched a movie, one breaking things off with her at midnight on New Year's Eve and"one telling me he didn't think we could hang out anymore because he 'doesn't like cats,'"Lamphier said.

'The dating pool is shallower'

"The dating pool here is shallower for sure. It's always fun coming across exes on those sites/apps, something that likely wouldn't happen in a place with a bigger population," respondedJason Chevrierof Charlottetown on Facebook, noting that he is from off-Island and has no family here so has never run into relatives while dating online.

"I'm either undesirable, or P.E.I. are just very picky, or too small population," replied Patricia Bourque via Twitter with the hashtags#GivenUp #SingleForLife.

"You're better off just getting out of the house and meeting people in person. You know, the normal way," tweetedCalebMacKay.

"I have given up. All there is 40-year-old men wanting to get laid," tweeted Chastity A. "I actually have more luck outof P.E.I."

'Met my love'

Others Islanders shared what they consider fantastic luck in online dating.

"I met my fiance on Plenty of Fish! I was in Ottawa at the time and he was in P.E.I.," wrote Elyse Cottrell of Middleton, P.E.I., on Facebook.

"I had been accepted to UPEI and was looking for people to chat with so I would know someone when I moved here," she explained. "We had our first date three months later when I moved here." That was in 2012, and the couple is now engaged.

"Met my love on Match.com. It will be four years on Saturday," wriote Darlene Sherren MacDougall of Kensington, P.E.I., on Facebook.

"I was on Match for a few days and so was he. He was 50 kms away," she wrote. "To be honest, I wasn't looking for a long-term relationship but from the very first meeting at Tim's I knew he was 'the one.' I am living a life I used to dream about." Anyone else getting choked up here?

"I met my husband on Plenty of Fish, but I certainly went through a lot of frogs before I found my prince," commentedBrendaSanders-Passmoreof Charlottetown.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS ICBC's new Anne series premieres March 19
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS ITourism sign laws too strict, says MLA