'Incredible' bioluminescence gives California surf an eerie blue glow

An unusual algal bloom, known as a red tide, has drawn many to the beach in the hopes of witnessing the stunning spectacle


Bioluminescence in San Diego. The natural event has been likened to ‘breaking a light stick’.
Photograph: Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego

Julia Carrie Wong in San Francisco
Fri 11 May 2018 16.10 EDT Last modified on Sat 12 May 2018 08.23 EDT

A dense bloom of bioluminescent algae off the coast of southern California has lit up the Pacific Ocean with an eerie and fantastical neon blue glow, sending photographers and spectators to the beach at night in hopes of witnessing .

The algal bloom, also known as a red tide, was observed this week lighting up the waves along a 15-mile stretch of coastline.

“Bioluminescence happens all the time, just not at that level,” said Dr James M Sullivan, a bioluminescence researcher at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. “This is an incredible one.”

It is not known how long the current display will last. In September 2013, the last time San Diego saw a red tide, the conditions lasted for a week. Other red tides have been known to last for a month or even longer.

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