Locations
California’s Glowing Beach
May
California is a magical place that captures many people’s attention. Magical people, views, and sights seem to gather in the best places. California is a pretty cool state, there isn’t any debate over that. California has beaches, sand dunes, amusement parks, and giant redwood trees. It’s hard to believe that California could get any better. However, California is still glowing up.
If you’ve been to any San Diego beaches lately, you’ve seen a kind of glow-up that is mesmerizing. The ocean is a magical place and is always changing. Every so often, our oceans and beaches in California change a little. Usually, it’s just the tides, but sometimes the changes in our beaches are more chemical or plant-influenced. Whenever there is a change in our beaches, we tend to worry that it has something to do with climate change or global warming. Luckily for us, this change had nothing to do with either.
There is an alga in the ocean called da dinoflagellate that blooms every few years. These algae can be found on several beaches, but are particularly common in the waters of San Diego. When this algae blooms, it turns the ocean water red during the day. The beaches turn into a red soupy mixture. Locals in San Diego call it the “Red Tide.”
If the red water itself doesn’t scare you, just wait for it at night. The dinoflagellate glows bright blue. The algae just need to be moved around by a wave or a person, and they give off a bioluminescent glow. The last time the shores of California glowed like this was back in 2013. Scientists have a hard time predicting when the algae will bloom, making forecasting this event difficult.
California likes to enchant its occupants. However, it’s not the only place in the world where you can find this bioluminescent algae. There are beaches in both Maine and Australia that host similar phenomena. Before you jump into your swimsuit and head out into the water, you should know that high doses of dinoflagellate from the Red Tide could make you sick.