California’s ocean waters are glowing in the dark — and the videos are stunning

Southern California’s ocean waters are glowing in the dark thanks to cool science.

People have been shocked and amazed to see glowing dolphins swim by or see ocean waves light up the night waters.

The phenomenon has been caught in several videos that social media has gone wild for.

On Monday, a San Diego surfer was caught on camera gliding through the bioluminescent waves in Sunset Cliffs, according to Storyful.

The stunning video shows the electric blue waves that have been seen off Southern California’s coasts, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s post on Facebook. It looks like a glow stick broke in the ocean because of bioluminescence.

Bioluminescence is the ability of organisms to create and emit light when chemical reactions happen, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Marine animals can use it to communicate, to lure in their next meal or to ward off predators, according to the Smithsonian Institution.

Along the California coast from Baja to Los Angeles, the glowing waves are caused by a “red tide” that is an aggregation of dinoflagellates, which are single-celled organisms that float on or near the ocean’s surface, according to Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

“With waves or movement in the water causing the phytoplankton to glow neon blue at night,” the institute said on Facebook. “During the day, the water appears to have a reddish hue, hence the term ‘red tide.’”

This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 5:39 PM with the headline "California’s ocean waters are glowing in the dark — and the videos are stunning."