By: Miss Defy
Have you ever looked over the edge of a boat to see neon blue water gleaming under the stars? You take a second to make sure your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you, and the bright sparkles seem to intensify the longer you look?
I know what you’re thinking…did they do some heavy drugs in SE Asia? No. This is bioluminescent plankton.
Photo credit: https://www.visitkohrong.com/koh-rong-plankton/
What makes bioluminescent plankton glow?
For my non-biology people out there: When the plankton are jostled around, it’s like they’re in a mosh pit at a 1990s grunge concert. At first they are ok with getting bumped around, but when the waves or mechanical stimuli get harsher, they throw out their elbows (aka bioluminescence) to warn and confuse potential predators to stay away.
For my fellow-science nerds: Bioluminescent plankton are dinoflagellates (single-celled eukaryotes) who react to an agitating stimulus with an influx of protons into the cell. This creates an acidic environment and sets the stage for a cascade of complex cellular reactions. In just milliseconds, these processes create the emission of light (bioluminescence). Fireflies and plankton use the same physiologic process, and this light is thought to be used to deter or confuse predators.
What is it like to experience bioluminescence?
When I was a kid at a beach in Florida, I remember sweeping the ground with my foot revealing faint, sparkly specks in the sand once evening. I was around 10 years old, so I remember it being “kinda cool”, but nothing to write home about. Looking back, I guess this was my first taste of bioluminescence. Despite this underwhelming first encounter, my recent experience with ocean bioluminescence was nothing short of spectacular.
While in Koh Rong, Cambodia, we hired a boat with friends and family to explore the island and the surrounding beaches. We spent the day playing soccer, snorkeling, swimming, and motoring around to various parts of the island. The end of the boat tour was advertised as a swim in “glowing water”. With heavily touristed places I always have my concerns about false advertising, and we were warned it was “only about 50%” due to the lunar cycle. So, we tried not to get our hopes up.
As we turned a corner, the deep purple sea began to have a light twinkle in the moonlight. The captain of the boat announced we were “here”, and the wake from the boat began to take on a neon blueish hue. So, naturally, we jumped in the water to see what all the commotion was about. As my hands swept through the water, it was as if fireflies danced off my fingertips. Soon, I was enveloped in a shimmering cloak of plankton. I do a full body shake (imagine young Forrest Gump imitating Elvis) to see how much I could rev up, and the specks of light intensified and surrounded my body- I couldn’t help but smile and laugh.
Nature’s bioluminescence lighting up the rocks
Photo credit: Kin Cheung/AP https://www.businessinsider.com/biolamp-2015-7
If you think I’m making this up, then you must go and try for yourself. It is pure magic.
After this surreal swim in Cambodia, I thought I may never see something like that again in my lifetime. However, life sometimes works in mysterious ways, and we were blessed with another encounter just two months later. Although Mr. Defy and I both agreed distance sailing is not our cup of tea (see previous post on our sailing trip), a night before our long ocean crossing in the Banda Sea was one of the best nights of my life.
I was sitting on the bow of the boat just after the sunset faded behind the mountains. We were anchored near a small Indonesian island with nothing but a single street lamp in the sky. The vibrant pink sky with wispy clouds lingered for a few more minutes, and then the darkness of night was upon us. As I looked up, one star began to shimmer, and then one turned to thousands; I felt as if I had entered a planetarium. Then, my eyes were quickly drawn to the water.
My first thought was…Are the fish glowing? I began seeing a few 1-3 foot streams of green water lingering for minutes at a time. Just as the stars had suddenly multiplied, hundreds of these fluorescent bands encompassed the surface of the sea. I shifted my gaze deep down into the ocean, and there they were, fish as bright as glowsticks underneath the surface! Looking closer, I caught that reminiscent twinkle to the water, and I began to process what I was seeing. This was bioluminescence!
I immediately yelled to Mr. Defy, and we grabbed goggles and jumped in.
It makes you feel like a kid again. The wonder. The excitement. The pure amazement of nature. So many things in life have been replaced by phones and computers, but this was something that could not be digitally replicated. In fact, I was so in the moment I forgot to take any pictures (I know, insta-fail).
We shook our bodies and had an underwater dance party of glitter. Sometimes the initial experience of something dampens the excitement for the subsequent experience, but we felt the exact opposite. This time it was even more mesmerizing. Perhaps it was the addition of bioluminescent fish, the ability to catch plankton in your hand, or the fact that this patch of sea was so mysterious and deserted which added to the allure. We spent over an hour in pure dark water creating light and amazement. A reminder of how the natural world is so fascinating.
Where in the world can you see bioluminescence?
Apparently, everywhere! I thought this was a less common phenomenon, but here is a short list of some of the most reliable places to see and experience the magic of bioluminescence.
In US:
- Florida (Indian River, Mosquito Lagoon, Merritt Island)
- California (Mission Bay & Torrey Pines beach- San Diego)
- Washington (San Juan Island)
- New Jersey (Manasquan Beach)
Elsewhere in the world:
- Koh Rong, Cambodia
- Vaadloo Island, Maldives
- Glowworm caves, New Zealand
- Puerto Mosquito & Isla de Vieques, Puerto Rico
- Goias, Brazil
- Toyama Bay, Japan
- Halong Bay, Vietnam
*Before you go, make sure to check time of year and position of the moon as these factors can significantly alter the experience. Or if you don’t like planning- just go!
Want to see more? Here are a couple recent videos showing bioluminescence in action (San Diego, CA):
