The allure of bioluminescence — a phenomenon that turns ocean waves a glowing neon blue — captivates people all along the Southern California coast from time to time.
Early Thursday morning, a team at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography caught another beautiful sight during a boat ride from Scripps Pier to the La Jolla Cove: dolphins swimming through the glimmering blue bioluminescent waters.
UCSD photographer Erik Jepsen captured the footage in the player above while Scripps diving locker supervisor Rich Walsh drove the boat.
Scientists say bioluminescence is caused by blooms of the algae Lingulodinium polyedra.
These events are commonly known as “red tides,” referring to the brownish-red color it makes during the day. At night, when the phytoplankton are “agitated” by waves or other movements in the water, the blooms begin to glow in vivid hues of blue.
The streams of electric blue have prompted some photographers to rush to the shores for a glimpse of the bioluminescence. One photographer recently came across glowing sand during a red tide while walking along Sail Bay in San Diego’s Mission Bay area.
Although it is unknown how long each red tide event will stick around, they have been known to last anywhere between several days to over a month.
