With each crashing neon blue wave, the crowd cheered.
Determined beachgoers flocked to north Orange County in the late-night hours on Wednesday, Sept. 5, to catch the latest light show put on by bioluminescent algae that turn the waves a bright, electric blue hue.
The unusual sight has been creating a buzz the last two weeks as it lingers off the Southern California coastline, with spotings reported from San Diego to Oxnard and many places in between. The latest showing on Wednesday were in Sunset Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
“Last night the bioluminescence in Huntington was absolutely incredible,” said Torrance-based photographer Patrick Coyne, who regularly loses sleep to run out and document the light show on the sea.
He also ventured to Crystal Cove in Newport Beach to catch the crashing waves that look like they could be out of an Avatar movie.
The bioluminescent waves are caused by a dinoflagellate algae that turns the ocean red during the day, but glows when agitated at night. Though the presence of a red tide can give a clue to where the glowing algae may show up at night, but they are highly unpredictable and tough to find as wind, currents and tides shift.
“The waves almost looked neon they were so bright. The beach was flooded with people enjoying it and every bright wave that crashed you would hear cheering,” Coyne said. “I was lucky enough to film some people Boogie Boarding in the surf, which made for some amazing footage.”
Social media pages are the go-to for people willing to venture out at night to witness the phenomenon, with live updates as scouters find the waves.
In the Bioluminescence in Orange County group on Facebook, people who find the blue glowing waves give their locations and share photos, while others share when they get skunked, showing up to find just a dark ocean.
On Instagram, Coyne and fellow Orange County Outdoors photographer Mark Girardeau go live to show viewers where to find the waves or…
Read the full article here
