Have you ever witnessed the glow of an electric blue bioluminescence beach? The beautiful Southern California beaches experience this semi-annual phenomenon usually around the Spring time between the months of March and June. It is a bucket list phenomenon you do not want to miss!
It can occur all around the world, but it visits the Southern California area every couple of years. But this year in 2020, the glow has been strong and bright. It’s an incredible sight at Southern California beaches.
What is Bioluminescence Plankton?
The Spring of 2020 in Southern California has found the beaches and the oceans calm with less crowds, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown. The less people and water vehicles are in the water, the more illuminating plankton grows. The Bioluminescence is a phenomenon caused by certain kinds of phytoplankton associated with red tide. By day, the ocean has a reddish hue that looks like pollution. But by night in the dark, this plankton produce pulses of blue light as the waves crash and churn. These trails of light are created by tiny natural organisms called dinoflagellates that thrive in some waters in certain weather.
Best Bioluminescence Beach in Southern California
Currently, the neon blue bioluminescence beach glow can be seen all along the shores of Southern California beaches. Starting from the North in Los Angeles County all the way to the South in San Diego County. It is moving southward with the ocean current and some areas may be stronger than others. Some beaches have no visibility at all (such as Seal Beach in LA-County), while others glow so bright, it’s like someone installed neon lights directly in the water. So make sure to check online for the most current sighting locations. I suggest using Twitter or Instagram and search for the hashtag #bioluminescence and check for the location of most recent posts.
Los Angeles County
MALIBU BEACH
REDONDO BEACH
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LONG BEACH
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Orange County
NEWPORT BEACH
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SAN CLEMENTE
San Diego County
BEACON’S BEACH – Encinitas, California
Beacon’s Beach is where we personally went to view the bioluminescence. We stood atop of a cliff’s edge and looked down at the crashing surf. We drove 1.5 hours to find the perfect location. Some spots were more crowded and patrolled by the city police. This spot was perfect for us since it had it’s own private viewing ledge and street parking. It was not crowded at all. The stairs leading down to the beach were closed at the time, but viewing from the top was still pretty incredible.
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MOONLIGHT BEACH – Encinitas, California
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LA JOLLA
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WINDASEA BEACH – LA JOLLA
When and How to see the Bio luminescence
The best time of day to see the bright blue glow of the bio-luminescence on the beaches of Southern California is after complete sunset. Since this phenomenon occurs around the Spring time, I would recommend the best viewing time to be after 9:00pm PST. For optimal viewing and photography times, I would suggest after midnight. There would be less people and less light pollution from city lights.
You can also get some great photography shots right at sunset if you find a spot where the glow is strong and you are really good with your camera settings. 😛
The best way to view the amazing neon blue glow is wait until it is completely dark. If you are standing from afar or from top of a cliff or building, I would suggest binoculars. If you are lucky, and have access to a small water vehicle, it is also great to view the bioluminescence glow directly from within the water. The above viral video of swimming dolphins in Newport Beach was the beginning of the beautiful phenomenon.
How to take photos of a Bioluminescence Beach in Southern California
It is difficult to take photos of a bioluminescence beach with a smartphone unless you are up close and personal with the glow. I suggest using a DSLR camera with manual settings to give you the ultimate control. Since the waves are constantly moving, you will need to adjust for a higher ISO and lower F-stop. We had a hard time with our own photography since we don’t have a lot of experience with night photography. :::sadness:::
Other Places in the World to see Bioluminescence
I hope you get to visit some of the above locations in Southern California during this phenomenon. Like I mentioned before, it only come around Spring time in California, but it doesn’t always stay very long and is not always so bright. This year has been great viewing so don’t miss it! It’s a once in a life time experience you can definitely check off your bucket list!
Below is a quick list of some other places you can witness the incredible phenomenon all around the world. Have you ever experienced the bioluminescence beach before? Where were you and how was it? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
Australia – Bioluminescence Beach
Maldives – Mudhdhoo Bioluminescence Beach
Mexico
Persian Gulf
Puerto Rico
Thailand
I enjoyed reading about all of your personal experiences! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for visiting!
Wow! This is so cool!! I didn’t know this phenomenon existed. Thanks for these awesome tips on how to have the best experience. I definitely hope to see it someday!
I never knew about it until this year either. It’s pretty incredible!
This is so awesome! I have never seen this before. It’s so beautiful!
It’s like visiting another planet.
Thisssss is on my bucket list too!! Is it sad that I’ve lived in CA for 2/3 of my life and never knew this was a thing that happened until…uh, this year? (I live in norcal if that makes it any better at all…doesn’t make me feel any better though, haha.) I love your photos! <3
It’s actually not as common or as strong usually. This year we got super lucky with it….although not very lucky with other stuff. 😛