[imagesource: Mark J Terrill/AP]

The ocean is full of incredible creatures with the potential to terrify or delight.

There’s a fisherman who finds and photographs things at the bottom of the ocean that should probably have been left there to spare us the nightmare fuel.

Think multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth…

Then there’s phytoplankton. During the day it gathers on the surface of the water, bringing in what’s commonly known as a ‘red tide’. By night, however, it transforms into something phenomenal.

Here’s The Guardian,

The event occurs every few years along the coast of southern California, though locals say this year’s sea sparkle is especially vibrant, possibly related to historic rains that soaked the region and generated algal bloom.

Photo: Mark J Terrill/AP

For some, this year’s light show was especially meaningful, coming just as beaches began to reopen after an almost month-long closure due to coronavirus.

Surfer Dale Huntington braved the world at 3AM to surf the bioluminescent waves.

“I’ve been surfing for 20 years now, and I’ve never seen anything like it”, Huntington said.

A video by The LA Times shows surfers enjoying the waves:

A photographer taking in the spectacle off the coast of Newport Beach also recorded a dolphin jetting through the water:

One grumpy person contacted the authorities, asking them to restrict beach access, comparing it to “Fourth of July on steroids”.

For surfers like Huntington, the spectacle has provided joy and relief amid the challenges of the pandemic. “My favorite part was paddling out – it was almost like there was a glow stick around your hand,” he described. “My board left a bioluminescent wake. There were a few of us out there and we were giggling, grown men shouting ‘this is so cool’ and splashing around like kids in the bathtub.”

In other words, back off, Karen. Surfers have enough to worry about, already.

Those of us locked down all over the world need to get our kicks where we can.

Scientists aren’t sure how long the red tide will last, but for now, it’s introducing some light into an otherwise bleak situation.

[source:guardian]