The Magical Extravaganza of Glowing Beaches

Before we talk about glowing beaches, it is important to understand this natural light show. It is due to bioluminescence or the emission of light by a living organism, typically plankton. They tend to light up like a firefly when disturbed by the sea waves. They tend to glow blue, red, or green and lead to a spectacularly colorful display of stars on earth.

Moonlight State Beach has a spectacular bright blue glow at night. This is all because of the presence of dinoflagellate algae growing in the water. The perfect time to see this event would be two hours after sunset, a low-light scene around the beach.

Toyama Bay is a glowing beach due to the presence of firefly squid, a phosphorescent creature. This bay is the spawning ground for firefly squid and millions of them inundate the beach from March to June. Their mesmerizing glow pulls in crowds to witness this magical moment.

A rare glowing algae causes the glowing phenomenon on Gippsland Lake. It all started after the 2006 bush fires and the torrential rains that flushed the lake with organic matter. This led to an algae bloom. These algae glow a faint bluish light at night whenever the water is disturbed. However, this bioluminescence is gradually fading away.

Located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Golfo Dulce is a great place to observe bioluminescence. You need to visit this place on a non-rainy, dark moonless night. The water glows with every movement and you can enjoy it in a kayak and see the blue and green light play with every paddle stroke.

This glowing beach offers a different kind of glow. Tiny shrimp-like crustaceans on this beach tend to glow and appear like a cluster of bright spot rather than glowing water. The light tends to remain longer so you can observe them without much movement.

This is one of the most popular tourist destination due to its bioluminescent glow. With every splash in the water, you will see a blue-green light emerging from the glowing algae.

The curious case of Sam Mun Tsai beach is that the water turns red and blue. This is all because of the presence of phytoplankton turning the water crimson during the day and glowing blue at night.

Luminous Lagoon is the best place to observe bioluminescence in Jamaica. It occurs due to the presence of tiny organisms called dinoflagellates which glow in the warm waters of the lagoon. You can relax by walking in the sand on a dark moonless night and get yourself drowning in this brilliant spectacle.

These are some of the glorious glowing beaches that will stun you. Make sure to keep an eye on the phases of the moon, the darker the night, the brighter is the shine.