Party in the Ocean ( Waves Lighting Up Neon Blue)

To put it simply waters off the San Diego coast have recently had a really large algae bloom. During the day the water looks a nasty reddish brown color, but at night the waves turn a blueish greenish color when they break. The organism known as dinoflagellates releases a chemical reaction that cause it to turn a neon blue when agitated. I went down to the beach, days after it was considered by locals to be the best they have seen in years. When I got to the beach, to my surprise, there were just as many cars lined up on the street as there are during a summer day. Everyone was there to see one of natures many phenomenons. Due to street light pollution the first place I went to barely showcased the bioluminescence. I went to my secret spot which is shielded by cliffs and saw the party in the ocean. The waves would light up a neon blueish green every so often. The whole event was almost magical, like I was on a different planet. I even saw some surfers riding these waves. It was extremely difficult to capture this phenomenon.

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I read about this on CNN this morning. It must be something very cool to see in person.

I had my tripod out and camera bag packed last night, ready to go to the beach by my house...then a friend dropped in with a bottle of wine and I got sidetracked. Cool pics! It is extremely difficult to shoot this stuff. I remember the first time I saw it, I thought I was going nuts. I was standing on the pier watching the surfers and was watching a kid directly below me paddling out on his board. Where his fingers were drawn through the water, I could see 5 streaks of blue light. HUH? I couldn't believe it, didn't understand it. For as far as you could see, as the waves crashed up the coast, were lines of blue neon. Amazing. Thanks for posting these pics. It motivates me to get out tonight!

paul3221 wrote in post #13191392
I read about this on CNN this morning. It must be something very cool to see in person.

It is very cool to see. I talked to some people that went during the "peak time", and they said that the water would light up when you ran your hand through the water!

suecassidy wrote in post #13191422
I had my tripod out and camera bag packed last night, ready to go to the beach by my house...then a friend dropped in with a bottle of wine and I got sidetracked. Cool pics! It is extremely difficult to shoot this stuff. I remember the first time I saw it, I thought I was going nuts. I was standing on the pier watching the surfers and was watching a kid directly below me paddling out on his board. Where his fingers were drawn through the water, I could see 5 streaks of blue light. HUH? I couldn't believe it, didn't understand it. For as far as you could see, as the waves crashed up the coast, were lines of blue neon. Amazing. Thanks for posting these pics. It motivates me to get out tonight!

you should its the best its been in awhile

Good ones!

Looks like there's a second bloom. Del Mar especially. Going out tonight!