I had experienced this marvel on night dives by turning off my torch and waving my arms and swim fins around to excite the plankton. As a diver, I was familiar with the phenomenon of bio-luminescence. I could lift my foot and point the sole forward to use as a torch! With a finger, I could trace messages in shining letters in the sand. When I strolled along the waterline to investigate, each step left a glowing footprint in its wake. Every movement of the water excited the source of the illumination. The gentle surges of water lapping up against the shoreline were glowing with an eerie turquoise radiance, dotted with bright specks of light, much like the stars that were just starting to light up overhead. What could be better? I was about to find out!Īs the last embers of the crimson sunset faded away, a most remarkable scene, supernatural in appearance, began to reveal itself. A fiery sunset was illuminating the sky, and a luscious feast was in preparation. For the next few hours we passengers had this Robinson Crusoe island to ourselves. Our safari boat drifted lazily at anchor offshore. Mouth-watering smells wafted off the portable grill as the crew set up a portable dinner table on the beach. “The island was straight out of a picture postcard: dense jungle foliage in the interior and a long sandy beach wrapping around the perimeter, and nary a human inhabitant. He recounts the time he saw bio-luminesce in the autumn of 2010 in the Maldives. ![]() Marine wildlife photojournalist Doug Perrine, has been lucky enough to witness the phenomenon several times. It’s worth agitating the water to check, throw a stone into the sea and if the plankton is there you’ll be rewarded with a bright blue splash of light.' If the sea is particularly calm and just gently lapping the shore, this may not be enough to cause bio-luminescence to light up. Or as you walk along the beach, plankton that are left deposited on the shore’s sand and stones will light up and sparkle beneath your feet. ‘For bioluminescence to happen, the plankton needs to be moved or disturbed by something, so as the surf crashes onto the shoreline, the waves will ripple in blue light.If you are shining a light onto the water then you won’t see the plankton glow at all, they must have darkness (but they are not affected by moonlight and it’s still possible to see them under a bright moon).’ ‘If you are out walking on a beach at night, turn off your torch, phone light and any other lights, to let your eyes acclimatise to the darkness and you’ll soon be able to find your way around.Remember that this indicator tends to be only for larger displays, and if you can’t see any red algae it doesn’t mean that the plankton isn’t present.’ ‘It is sometimes possible to spot the blooms during the day, by looking for clumps of red algae in the water near the shoreline – this is a good indicator that the plankton are present there and that its worth visiting that spot again the following night. ![]() You need the darkness in order to be able to see them.’
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