The ocean can be a scary place, with shipwrecks, bizarre sea creatures, and ominous black holes.
This might be a place you want to avoid after dark, but lately, the beaches of the South Coast have taken on a magical look as the sun sets.
Footage shot in Laguna, Newport, and Huntington Beach shows waves and sand glowing blue as if they were held under a giant black light.
Videos and photos from Southern California showed the sand glowing when people walk over it and push against the algae, and the water glowing when boats move through the sand or when waves crash onto the surface.
Bioluminescent algae are found in oceans around the world, often concentrated in warm-water lagoons or bays with small openings.
Although algal blooms occur in the summer, they can occur at any time of the year.
The emergence of algae in Southern California has prompted travel company Newport Coast Adventures to launch cruises to let people see it firsthand.
It advertised: “Jump on board with us on the search for the bioluminescence glow that illuminates the night sky as the waves crash around the shorelines, wake from our ships, possible dolphins swimming through, large fish schools, and anything else that triggers the blue natural phenomenon."
Watching the video below:
Blue light fluorescence is the natural light provided by the flowers of the algae Noctiluca scintillans, commonly known as "sea light.".
Non-toxic phytoplankton are not considered harmful and are relatively common in Hong Kong. Unusually, the camera captured its iridescent glow, which only appears when the water is disturbed.
Despite its blue color, the phenomenon is still known as the red tide. Michelle Zhang of the city's Ecological Education and Resource Center said the bloom was caused by high pollution, which was exacerbated by slow water flow.
This beautiful and elusive phenomenon sometimes washes up on the coast and has been witnessed firsthand by local "biohunter" enthusiasts who search the coast for bioluminescence.
"It's also known as the maritime aurora, just like the Australian aurora you see in the sky," said photographer Sajith Muraledharan, who captured the phenomenon in Napier.
