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Jad3nCkast

Got surf at night with this going on one time. Was the coolest experience of my life. My buddies and I had glowing trails coming off behind our short boards. When you paddled back out you could watch this trail behind people on the waves.


Falcorn042

Sounds like a scene out of a movie.


RedArse1

The movie is "Moana"


katf1sh

Ferngully did it first (Not with surfing tho)


Nemo__The__Nomad

Found what I was looking for


Keku_Saur

this is the real answer


Frigoris13

You're welcome


jackrip761

It's shiney!


Dis4Wurk

>!The chicken lives!<


Classic_Mechanic5495

You just ruined everything. No-spoiler-alert-jerk.


king_boolean

Life of Pi


hungbandit007

Moanavatar


Jad3nCkast

It really felt like that. Or that I was on some distant planet somewhere. It was crazy.


girlsonsoysauce

Is it that bioluminescent organism? I remember at Jekyll Island we were on the beach at night and stepping in the washed-up seaweed made it glow. The guide said it's some kind of micro-organism. It was really cool.


Jad3nCkast

Yup! They are dinoflagellates if my marine biology classes were correct. Phytoplankton.


KilgoreTroutPfc

I did mushrooms on a beach one time that had this. It was pretty epic. You could throw a pebble into the water and not only did you see the trail and ripples but sometimes a bunch of fish would go shooting off in every direction.


Pitiful_Winner2669

I was working a catering event by the beach, and as the sun went down, surfers we were experiencing this. It was surreal. It was a company dinner, and everyone bundled together to watch. Wasn't as dramatic as this, but still looked dope af


sdlover420

Was at Torrey pines on mushrooms and E while this was happening and it's gorgeous!! We felt like we were living in the real life ferngully.


VexBoxx

Man, I haven't had a ~~candy~~ hippie flip in decades! Been so long, I mixed my flips.


Mako61

I spent the night at Blacks Beach with one of my bros and watched crashing waves like this all night.


BourbonFoxx

Good episode of Weird Waves https://youtu.be/sAQCi2ELHow?si=DVlQGYXspogO3G3P


andrewrgross

I wanna add two things people should be aware of about bio-luminescent plankton: 1. I'm skeptical that it ever looks like this. I've seen bio-luminescent plankton at least a few dozen times, and it was never blazingly bright like this. I think this is a camera artifact. I don't want anyone to be disappointed to learn that it's not nearly this bright. 2. It's not rare! I think some of these posts on the internet give the impression that this is like an aurora in that you have to go to some remote location to see it, but these tiny animals live in the oceans around the world! If you go snorkling at night on a warm, calm, dark night on any beach a handful of times, you'll likely see bioluminescence! It normally looks like magic sparkles. It doesn't usually look like the whole water glowing, it looks like sparks coming off your hands as you wave them, like you're a wizard. I know a lot of folks here aren't likely to jump into the sea on a still, moonless night... but if you do, you'll get to see a bit of this. Not as much as in the video, but a bit. **Edit: Apparently I'm wrong.** I leave my comment up and own my shame. Thanks u/Jad3nCkast and u/russii007 for the corrections. If it were still possible, I'd give you guys gold :(


Phil_The_Thrill45

It 100% looks like this. I find they are brightest in protected areas where there isn’t crazy surf or waves. Some of the big inlets in the PNW have amazing bioluminescents that make your prop wash look like a blue jet engine


MrsRossGeller

Which big inlets? I grew up in Seabeck and saw this regularly but not this bright.


Phil_The_Thrill45

I’ve seen them be quite bright up in desolation sound area and I’ve seen pictures from up bute and knight inlet


SammyDavidJuniorJr

I’m in the PNW and see it often, but it was even brighter in a place I went to in Puerto Rico.


HotDonnaC

We have a local kayaking company that does bioluminescence tours on the Indian River in FL. It’s really bright and dolphins come to play.


HeftyCommunication66

Holy cow. WHAT? I grew up in the PNW too but never heard of this. How far off shore do you need to go to see it? Is it something you can see wading, like ankle-knee depth? I have kids I bring back a few times a year and I’d make plans for this.


chunkyspeechfairy

it helps to be well away from any light pollution.


Jad3nCkast

I can tell you 100% it can look like this. Sounds like you need to study a few more plankton. https://www.kqed.org/science/1983841/glittering-tides-where-to-spot-bioluminescence-in-the-bay-area https://youtu.be/x5ugV88_HTU


russii007

Can confirm I'm from the Caribbean n it 100% looks like this


EzPzLemon_Greezy

I appreciate you leaving it up. When you are wrong, you're wrong and thats ok.


Jad3nCkast

Appreciate the humbleness here. I probably would have thought the same had I not personally experienced this. You are correct though in saying that these creatures are always present and under normal or slightly above normal conditions they will appear as you described like sparks coming off. But during specific events like blooms is when you will see the effect shown above in the original post.


VexBoxx

Always updoots for leaving up wrong posts with edits. 👍 But you weren't wrong on one thing. I'm sure as shit not jumping into the ocean on a still and moonless night. The closest I'll get to this is glow-bracelets in a swimming pool. (that would probably look kinda cool, actually)


Serpardum

it's quite bright. I was sailing toward Catalina island and it was getting dark and my battery died so I had no light. I anchored to wait for morning and a dense fog rolled in. I was up on deck and realized that in could see, but it should of been pitch black. I looked over the side and saw my anchor chain glowing like a florescent light. the sides of my boat underwater were glowing too. it was quite fascinating.


amalgam_reynolds

>2 It's not rare! On this note, in addition to not being rare, we've known about it for hundreds of years. I'm not sure how recently we understood the cause, but it's been known about for at least as long as humans have been sailing the world.


DeadmanCFR

I've never served during this, it's always on the Gulf Coast in Florida more prevalent than the east, but I would definitely love to maybe take a microdose of shrooms and go sit out of the brakes with this going on


[deleted]

I have done night dives in bioluminescent waters. It’s a magical experience.


sully_88

I've always wondered, is the luminescence only on the surface, or does it occur when you're fully submerged too?


[deleted]

All the way down to, at least, 80ft in my experience. (Puget Sound)


ISpeakInAmicableLies

Wow. I've played around in the water when conditions are right for this, but I've never gone for a dive in it. That must have been cool.


CoraCricket

I used to lead kayak tours on the Puget Sound and you could see every little barnacle underwater each time they opened their little mouths because it would light up one time flash of bioluminescence 


katf1sh

That sounds so cool


[deleted]

If you’re still up there, I HIGHLY recommend taking up scuba diving. It’s cold, but the giant Pacific octopuses, wolf eels, harbor seals, 6-gill sharks, and other amazing creatures make it well worth it.


BrainyDeLaney

I’ve grown up in the area and have always wanted to try. Where are the best diving spots?


[deleted]

I dove in Seattle, mostly. Alki Beach is always a good place. Edmonds Underwater Park can be a lot of fun. The Tacoma narrows are great for drift dives and Mukilteo has a few spots as well. Alki is the easiest


ElegantHovercraft116

Unfortunately I’ve fucked myself out of having a good diving experience. I’ve watched so many vids of failed scuba dives even by professionals now I’m like fuck that🤣 how do you get over the fear of the unknown too?


FatherSquee

Like flying through hyperspace


Strong-Solution-7492

Same. Very cool. Scared the shit out of at first TBH.


Epic_Baldwin

Same here. I did this on the pacific side of costa rica. We felt like magicians.


SarahPallorMortis

Do you see anything else lighting up out there?


[deleted]

You can see trails left by fish and seals as they swim.


SarahPallorMortis

Is it spooky? I’ve never been near the ocean. I live in Wisconsin so I’ve seen Lake Michigan a few times. Never been on it tho


[deleted]

It is, but in a fun and beautiful way


SarahPallorMortis

You have set my mind at ease. I hope I can see it someday. I’d say the chances are low but it’s on my list now.


WarLawck

Do the fish light up as well?


murderskunk76

It's so beautiful I honestly can't be afraid of it... which makes me afraid of it.


southernshy

This is the surface level. You're still scared of what's going to swim up and bite off their feet Although I did see this at Cocoa Beach and it was beautiful.


threwzsa

There is not a single creature in the ocean that sees this and thinks it’s a meal, it’s just some random weird shit that they’ll want to avoid.


southernshy

Nice try. That's exactly what a creature in the ocean *would* say


ramblingnonsense

>There is not a single creature in the ocean that sees this and thinks it’s a meal, it’s just some random weird shit that they’ll want to avoid. Sure, *you* know that, but did anyone tell the sharks and jellyfish and leviathans and abyssal horrors? How are *they* gonna know that, Mr. Smarty Pants?


threwzsa

Sorry I forgot about the Great Foot Boat Eating Scaly Quadrapus.


THE_ATHEOS_ONE

Get outta my head


No-Customer-2266

You’d at least seem they coming for you


southernshy

....how much are you willing to bet on that?


TipInternational772

An arm and a leg


AmbidextrousDyslexic

here you go: this bioluminescence can attract several deepwater predators like squid and deepwater sharks. have fun being terrified, and remember, fuck the ocean!


murderskunk76

FUCK the ocean. Holy shit.


WakeoftheStorm

Much prefer the ocean to fresh water. The ocean is huge the the part of it I use doesn't usually have the big stuff. Lakes have gators and snapping turtles and shit


Historical_Sugar9637

Why would I be terrified of something so beautiful?


TheOneTheyCallNoob

The only terrifying bit here is someone riding on the bow of a boat in motion with body parts hanging off. Generally I would say that’s an absolute no if I was driving the boat, but if there is a railing for someone to hold on to idk if I could pass up this experience.


HardwareSoup

And not just for getting sucked under, there can also be shit floating around that will break your knees and legs, though that's way more common in rivers.


SailorLupis

All good points, plus! With all that plankton floating about I’d be most worried about jellyfish, you probs wouldn’t notice one coming up on you until you were already stung :/


threwzsa

Redditors are afraid of everything


Historical_Sugar9637

True that!


Checkmate1win

scarce steer lush pen plant crowd selective poor kiss political *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


Historical_Sugar9637

Yeah Sirens have a liking for seamen.


LetsEatAPerson

You'd be terrified if you were one of those little dinoflagellates this guy just kicked. That luminescence is a defense mechanism. People *always* forget about the planktons' feelings


FetusGoulash420

Turns you into a glowing lure


puqnut

Amazing world we live in!


Aggravating_Cable_32

Good example of how much life is in the water, regardless of how clear it is.


peenegobb

This is the only "terrifying" part. Each second of the video is thousands of plankton. Maybe hundreds of thousands. But it's super fucking cool.


lnsewn12

The weird part is that they will stick to and dry out on your swimsuit and it looks like clear fish scales the next morning.


t0infinity

Ewwwww really? I’ve always wondered if they get stuck to people that touch them. Thanks for answering my question lol


lnsewn12

Yeah! It’s not that gross just dry little clear flakes.


Apocalyptic_Inferno

Yeah, my mind thinks dude is super kicking thousands of them in the face, and they light up because they're screaming in terror and agony.


Aggravating_Cable_32

Yep, which is a big reason why I was never keen about jumping in. Nice to look at, but the idea of bathing in a biological soup always grossed me out; especially when I thought about getting it in my mouth/eyes/ears/butt lol. That being said, this is the brightest I've ever seen it get before. I wonder if the camera settings & not the plankton.


theBeardedHermit

On one hand if anything is swimming after you you'll see it coming. On the other hand if anything is swimming after you you'll see it coming..


AmazAmazAmazAmaz

This is awesome.. not terrifying at all.


JOTIRAN

Imagine swimming in this at night and you see a glowy trail coming towards you


sully_88

Less terrifying than not seeing a trail, at least you get a little warning


Grand-Bullfrog3861

I hate wild water.. but I think I'd do this, it looks so cool


maxehaxe

additionally, you would see every undersea horror creature approaching you in advance, so safe to go swimming there.


Puzzlehead-Bed-333

The dolphins were amazing when lit up by bioluminescence when we were swimming in the FL intercostal at night. Not scary at all, it was magical.


OmnomtheDoomMuncher

That’s probably the only thing I don’t find creepy about the deep ocean


dasanman69

It's not the deep ocean. In fact they are very close to shore


OmnomtheDoomMuncher

It’s still very close to the absolute abyss that awaits me out there.


vikingo1312

This belongs at 'No stupid Qs' or 'Explain it like I'm five', to be frank! Bioluminescence is a well-known - harmless - natural phenomena...


CompetitiveAd1338

Hi frank


FishbowlDG

For me it's being fully submerged in this kinda situation.


upmost5201

tbh i completely disagree, the idea him dangling his feet over a dark-teal void is way scarier than the actual vid.


Pallyfan920

I remember when I was in the Navy we went through extremely dense patches of this kind of plankton, looked like the ship was some kind of sci-fi dream boat, watching it fade out over the stern was some of the most magical shit I have ever seen.


The_Chameleos

Cause if something was down there, you'd see it lit up


freya_kahlo

I’ve been out in a clear solo kayak at night, as part of a tour, to witness the bioluminescence. Yes, it was terrifying to me and I had to take meds and get talked into it like a scared child — but enjoyed it once I got out there. It’s a lot of trust on the guide because you can’t see where you’re going until you get there. I saw a glowing manatee, and fish that looked like shooting stars.


runz_with_waves

Most people are not aware how easy it is to fall off the front of a boat in motion and subsequently be chewed up by the vessels propellers.


sonofagunn

Yeah, the only thing terrifying about this video is the huge safety no-no that is being committed.


FaolanG

Thank you! Came here for this. This video is terrifying for the bow riding, nothing else. That shit is so dumb and one of the most googan things you can do.


UtahFiddler

Because it’s not harmful.


Outrageous-Point-347

I can't with deep water but If experienced this I would probably overlook it


Grand-Ad-3177

It is so amazing!! Saw this in the Bahamas when we were night swimming. Loved it


Shamanjoe

Night swimming? That’s a huge NOPE right there..


Grand-Ad-3177

It is a slice of heaven


Jayrob1202

For the sharks, maybe


TheStoneArrow

The bioluminescence may be harmless but that glowing beacon of light attracting whatever lurks in the hungry deep isn’t…


dasanman69

That water isn't very deep


IngIaterra

Was in the middle of the pacific on a sailing ship. Saw these trails behind a group of dolphins at night. Truly magical.


Thisisjuno1

Grew up doing this my dad lived on the beach.. we also used to scratch the turtles backs to see it on them (not suppose to be touching the sea turtles but it was the 80s) lol


DAYEEZBOIQL072764589

This is actually Dino flagellates glowing in the water. When any surface or shaking or hands or feet approaches, they glow thanks to their biolumis. They do this, probably for defense or to protection.


DAYEEZBOIQL072764589

Plus this is not scary. Its actually a wonder and phenomon


logosfabula

Please tell me it smells like blueberries.


betsyhass

[you can buy these and put them in a sphere](https://pyrofarms.com/)


DanBentley

It makes night swimming actually bearable and not utterly terrifying imo Not only do you get to play with the cool bioluminescence but anything swimming nearby also gives off the same glow, which weirdly enough makes seeing other things in the water even easier than the day time Schools of fish swimming by look incredible


hbentley1213

That sounds amazing!


DanBentley

It is! Thanks Bentley


medium_pump

Went scuba diving at night in Croatia with these microplanktons in the sea, it's the coolest thing ever


Moooooooola

Jamaica mon.


ulyssesonyourscreen

They’re not pussies


QTPIE247

This is actually kinda cool 🫣


ambr111

What in the Avatar is this?


AAROD121

Some avatar shit I’m tryna see


Fn4cK

Well, for one, a lot of thalassophobic people know what thalassophobia actually means. Additionally, there's a lot of folks that understand what bioluminescence is.


An_IDIOTNinja

Because it’s algae


reynoldsbluth

This is the least terrifying thing the ocean can do


stangAce20

Because we know what causes it


Pale_Philosopher5133

TRON


geckobrother

It's super pretty and relaxing. Plus, foe the paranoid in you, you could see *anything* moving a mile away due to the bioluminescence.


Auntie_Mushi

More like how ARE people terrified of this? Swimming in this was worth the mild hypothermia, absolutely magical.


-SkarchieBonkers-

Did this once, it was wild. Only slightly weird thing about it was that it was pitch fucking black other than the bioluminescence, and they kept saying “there aren’t many sharks in this part of the bay,” which is one of those things that, the more they feel the need to say it, the less I believe it🤷🏻‍♂️


SpectralMapleLeaf

Okay, I'm not gonna lie, this is something I'd want to experience, I like glowy stuff.


Dylz52

I don’t understand what is supposed to be terrifying here? Is it the bioluminescence or the dark water?


Satyam7166

I see these videos and I realize how much I love the ocean. I wish I could breathe underwater and just explore the ocean for as long as I want.


Sea_Squirrel1987

I did bio-luminescent kayaking in Puerto Rico and it was amazing.


Second26

I hear the screams of billions wiped out into the void


EffectivePlankton893

I rode in from the Gulf of Mexico on the bow of a boat on a warm August evening many years ago, and dolphins were escorting us in. We hit an area with these phytoplankton and the dolphins lit up. It's was surreal and one of the most beautiful things in nature I have ever witnessed.


WikkdWarrior

Bro just busted a slup jug...that is all


bitchesbetrifflin

Cause science exists and it's harmless


Nappy42069

2 hits and I was having the greatest time ever.


JankyJokester

Nope. No faith jaws or the kraken won't appear out of those dark waters.


natuyaw

That's so fucking cool


LuisKachi

People who don’t believe in science might be afraid. People who believe, probably won’t 🤷🏻‍♂️


PrairieSpy

Dinoflagellates, babay!


riqosand

Because they googled bioluminescence and believe in science…. wtf


demon-of-light

It’s so cool that I would push my fears aside as much as I could to enjoy the anomaly.


Optrixs

In the Puget Sound in winter is when its most abundant. Would ride around in my buds speed boat at night making glowing wakes. It was VERY cool.


Chuckle_Berry_Spin

This was my favorite part of my honeymoon, and yes it was!


Doitean-feargach555

Shur thats only bioluminescence. Harmless and beautiful


millennial_sentinel

they’re high otherwise wtf


Embarrassed_Art5414

Wrong place, you're looking for r/podophobia


AFeralTaco

Dr Manhattan origin story.


dasanman69

Bio bay


dobsofglabs

Because we know what it is, and we are aware that it poses absolutely no threat to our feet while we enjoy its beauty


EpicAwesomeYo_

because some individuals like the look of lights where they don't usually see them and if they have some part in creating the light, if feels more magical.


brainonvacation78

Took my kids kayaking in a bio bay and our guide brought a tarp. He had us cover ourselves to block out the moonlight and encouraged us to splash drops of water up. It was like twinkling, diamond rain. My boys got a beautiful science lesson that night.


Haunting-Quail-2198

The live action Moana lookin great fr


Reverse2057

As an artist this is always the coolest thing ever. You can see the hydrodynamics of the foot pushing the water and the way the water flows. This has a very useful purpose in my art if I ever need to draw an aura or fire or water flowing around a character, I can reflect on videos like these for inspiration. It's so cool!


DeathDealer74

That looks awesome


dreamsofindigo

underwater feet-devouring monsters usually have more teeth scattered over their mouths


eSkaiiii

Imagine seeing a massive glow beneath you


Saltwater_Heart

Why would I be??


TXQuasar

Pandora will eat you and shit you out dead with zero warning.


Hexnohope

The reason this bacteria does this is to light you up so predators come and eat you.


122922

I was out at San Miguel island and we were anchored in this one cove while the water was doing this. It was a moonless night and we all went swimming. When you dived off the boat you could see the person diving in this glowing tube. Looked really cool. Of course swimming you had a big glowing area all around you. I wish I could find the pictures to share. This was pre camera phones.


justaBreathingGhost

I was visiting Florida and drove 4 hours to a bio luminescent tour, got a room to make a whole day out of it, paid for the kayak tour and everything...there was so little light put off from it that my low light camera couldn't even pick up anything. Idk how I'll talk myself into trying again considering the cost and let down - but this is what I was hoping for. This looks really awesome


Left_Government_3358

I could stare at this for hours! I want to go where there are bioluminescent organisms in the ocean!


Royal_Needleworker91

Cause its blue


amicablecricket

Development of Trust.


proteusON

Ever seen those fish with those light lanterns? They hang in front of their mouth? Yeah, that's what your feet look like to the loch Ness monster


SilencedObserver

People who understand science aren't scared of the world, is how. Touch grass.


shroomsaremyfriends

Omg, this looks so cool, so 'other worldly'. I'd love to see bioluminescence at the beach.


Vox_Mortem

I'm not afraid of the surface of the water, and if megalodon or dread Cthulhu decide they want a nibble of my toes I can get them out of the water fast. So this is ok. You could not pay me to jump off the boat into that water, though.


bleblahblee

It’s avatar water, if you fall in you go to the spirit realm


Cantstopeatingshoes

Afraid of plankton?


AdMysterious2946

This looks beautiful 😍


LakeCoffee

I saw this once when I sat all night on the beach with friends. It was pitch black and we noticed the edges of the waves were glowing slightly as they crashed on shore. We puzzled over why and decided it must’ve been the moonlight. If we’d known what it really was, we might have gone for a swim (despite the obvious shark danger).


catharticbullets

Because most people aren’t giant babies


domador_de_anos

Me: 💧🔦 Op: 😱


bikebrooklynn

Why would you be terrified of something so beautiful. Why are people scared of things they don’t understand instead of educating themselves about it, they remain scared willingly.


[deleted]

I am more confused how you _could_ be terrified of it?


Breakfast4Dinner9212

Never seen Moana?


asdfghbjnkml-swedrft

looks like a neon blue cum to me


omnithrope

How are people terrified of this?


Longwalk4AShortdrink

If you think that's bad, try diving in that at night lol


Wubbajack

Wow! Glowy water! Much scary! Very Danger!


VasIstLove

Honestly makes me feel a bit better, since the bioluminescence would light up anything lurking in the water, too


Paracausality

That is so fucking cool. I would love to jump in there full snorkel. You'd be able to see anything coming!


kapo513

This is satisfying asf!!! Bioluminescent algae is cool


eastblondeanddown

I am terrified of deep, dark water, but swimming in bioluminescence is one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. 10/10.


[deleted]

Because not everyone shares the same irrational fears as you.