This is no watered-down phenomenon.
Bright, neon-blue ocean currents are being seen off the California coast in a stunning display of bioluminescence.
The gorgeous act of nature, where microsized algae brighten waters at night so vividly that it appears computer-generated, was observed by a photographer in Los Angeles who has been chasing the electric-looking waves for years.
“This was by far … the brightest bioluminescence I have now ever seen,” aquatic adventurer Patrick Coyne captured an Instagram video of his boat speeding through the light water after sundown last week.
Just two days before, Coyne initially thought that was the best it could be, but his more recent experiences at the Marina Del Rey “took it to another level.”
“Even the tiniest movements lit up like I’d never seen before and it was all along the coast.”
What makes the thrill of catching bioluminescent waters even more exciting is that their visibility is historically hard to predict — as is their duration.
In San Diego, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography — which posted a video of dolphins streaming through the breathtaking streaks — reports that “previous events have lasted anywhere from one week to a month or more.”
They are brought on from what the experts call a red tide of bunchings of a single-celled marine plankton called dinoflagellate.
They’re also known for causing plenty of low tide-esque stink, reports the Los Angeles Times.
“Each cell contains a little bit of sunscreen that gives it color,” according to the institution. “On sunny days the organisms swim toward the surface, where they concentrate resulting in the intensified coloration.”
The most visible time to see the red tide, although you lose the nighttime afterglow, is between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., as they swim upward for more light and create a surface layer, per Scripps biological oceanographer Peter Franks.
Visit California also indicates bioluminescence is most popular during Spring and Summer, “especially during years with a combination of good rains and warm weather.”
Even if making it out to the Golden State is out of reach, don’t fret. Bioluminescence happens across the globe and has been spotted as close as the summer destinations of Manasquan and Long Beach Island in NJ.
Elsewhere, the Caribbean nation of Jamacia, Japan, Taiwan, and Puerto Rico are other hotspots for the glow of a lifetime, according to thetravel.com.
And, people are willing to go this distance to catch these waves.
Speaking to Fox News, a representative for Vrbo said that the prospect of sighting bioluminescence is also drawing people to travel to areas in Florida, such as Vero Beach to catch one of the planet’s most “awe-inspiring natural wonders.”
