Black and Blue

If you go to a deserted beach at 10pm and stare out into the water, you mostly see black. Of course, if there is a clear sky and a bright moon, you might catch some pale light reflecting off of breaking waves. That would be expected.

What would not be expected is the sudden eruption of a bright, blue, self-illuminating wave like the one pictured above (photo credit: Elisabetta Mariotti). My family and I stood in awe and watched this phenomenon repeat itself over and over last night on the shoreline in San Clemente. Here's a short video that shows the effect more vividly.

The phenomenon, which has been in the news a fair amount lately, is bioluminescence. It is caused by the same algae that look red in the daytime and cause what is colloquially know as the "red tide". However, when these algae are jostled about, they emit chemiluminescent light.

Whole new meaning to the phrase "black and blue"...