The pictures of glowing plankton on a beach across the world are stunning. It looks magical, like it gained inspiration from a Disney movie.
As the light glows in the middle of the night, it’s something out of this world. Small sparkling lights illuminate the dark night, twinkling as the waves roll in.
Summary
Bioluminescence on ocean beaches is a type of glowing light emitted biochemically from living organisms. The absolute best place to go and see glowing water, waves, & algae bioluminescence is in Mosquito Bay in Puerto Rico.
In this article, we’ll also look at the best places to see it in the following places:
- New Zealand
- California
- Hawaii
- More
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What is it, and what causes it?

We’ll look at where you can go to see it and what time of the year is best. Maybe you’re hoping to go and see it for yourself. We get it. It’s a beautiful sight!
Table of Contents
- What is bioluminescence on ocean beaches & what causes it?
- How does it work?
- The best time to see it in Florida
What is bioluminescence on ocean beaches & what causes it?
When you see the glowing light in the ocean’s water and waves, it’s what we call bioluminescence. Living organisms emit light biochemically. The sparkling and glowing effect is made by something alive.
A chemical reaction is happening in living organisms’ bodies, causing the phenomenon.
It’s a type of chemiluminescence. It means it’s a chemical reaction causing the phenomenon, and the result is light production.
It’s also a process that produces cold light. Cold light means less than 20% of it generates thermal radiation. It means no heat is generated. We’ll get into that later, which means the light is white and blue.
There are many places to go and see it happening, with many places in the United States. It’s common to occur in the oceans, and standing on the beach and seeing it is magical. Puerto Rico is just one place you can go to see it.
How does it work?

Let’s delve deeper into what’s going on in the whole process.
For the process to happen, the species must have luciferin. When it meets oxygen, light is produced. Various things can intensify the phenomenon, such as luciferase. It’s a catalyst that speeds up the reaction.
The animals
It’s not just a few animals in the ocean that can produce light – there are many of them. It’s even across a range of animals that include:
- Shrimp
- Squid
- Fish
- Jellyfish
- Sea stars
- Sea cucumbers
- Marine worms
- Phytoplankton
The photophore is the special organ that contains most cells, where the process happens in different animals. Some animals will have a more widespread glow. It can even come from algae!
For the process to happen, two molecules must be present:
- Luciferase
- Luciferin
The colors
The light that is produced can have a range of different colors, including:
- Violet
- Blue
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
- White
It will usually be blue-green when you see it from the beach. Water is best capable of transporting the wavelength of light of these colors. If you ever wondered why the ocean has the color it has, it’s the same reason.
The animals can actively control the process that’s going on. The movement of oxygen is moved into cells containing either of the two molecules mentioned. The light can also be bad news for fish as it typically means oxygen levels are low in the water.
The purpose
Some animals need to eat bioluminescent organisms for the process to happen. Others can produce luciferin or luciferase by themselves.
Others interact with the bioluminescent bacteria in a symbiotic way. The host animal might shelter and even feed them. They then provide light when light is needed.
Prey can be attracted to light. However, different animals use it for different reasons.
Some fish are sneaky. They’ll lie, dangling the light in front of their face. Their toothy mouths are ready to grab smaller fish as they inspect the dangling light. It’s an easy meal for the anglerfish!
Other fish use the light defensively. A predator may chase them. However, they attract even bigger predators when the lights come on, and these then chase away their predators! It’s quite smart.
Other fish glow on their bellies. Hatchetfish is one example. Living in the twilight zone, they’re used to very little light. As fish look up, they see lighter water. However, the hatchet fish lights up on the belly to avoid being a dark spot when looking up. The light actually helps them blend in.
Others can scare off predators with the help of flashing lights. Deepwater shrimp releases glowing mucus, and predators won’t know what to make of it.
Sea cucumber and brittle stars do something unique. When threatened, they can let go of a glowing body part. The predator then goes after this body part, not realizing they’ve been fooled. At the same time, the animals are ready to get away.
On the other hand, some animals use light for mating. It’s believed to attract mates. While scientists wish to study them more, it can be hard to do. Many of the animals are transparent and black, and they’ll often get scared off when someone shines a light on them.
The best time to see it in Florida
For the best time, you’ll want to go in the peak of summer. Stir the water with your hand or paddle, and you’ll see it light up where there’s bioluminescence. However, you can go between May and November, and you should still be able to see it.