STARRY NIGHT BEACH IN MALDIVES

STARRY NIGHT BEACH IN MALDIVES

The famous group of islands is known for being a heaven on Earth. But Vaadhoo Island has a lot of surprises that are revealed at night.

It captures a natural chemical reaction called bioluminescence, which occurs when a micro-organism in the water is disturbed by oxygen. The light from these bioluminescent phytoplankton looks like a fantastic starry sky somewhere deep in the universe. It`s mesmerizing. The glowing phytoplankton lights the beach where the waves hit the sand and agitate the little creatures. They also sight up under pressure, like when people walk across the sand. Phytoplankton is marine microbes which emanate the blue glow in the dark. The work for this is “bioluminescence” and it comes from the Greek work “bio” meaning life and “lumen” meaning light. There are also creatures which glow green, red or orange light. 

The short explanation for what causes this process is oxidization of the chemical luciferin, in the company of the enzyme luciferase, releasing energy in the form of light. It does not glow all the time. It takes energy to make the chemicals that allow them to glow. Dinoflagellates are the most common source of phosphorescent plankton in our oceans. These creatures got their name from their ability to swim by two flagella, which are mobile protein chains attached to their bodies. Bioluminescence is used to evade predators and acts as a defense mechanism in dinoflagellates. They produce light when they are disturbed and give you a flash of light that lasts a fraction of a second. The flash is intended to keep away the predator which is trying to eat them.

PUERTO RICO - GLOWING BEACH IN MOSQUITO BAY

In places like the bay of Puerto Rico, an island in the Caribbean Sea, sparkle is so abundant that the water glows neon blue at night when the hand or a paddle runs through it! The place to experience this glowing beauty is the beach in Puerto Mosquito (Mosquito Bay), located on the southern shore of Vieques Island. This magical bioluminescent bay has been officially declared the brightest recorded in the world by Guinness Book of world Records, in 2008.

ISLAND OF MJORN, SWEDEN

The same phenomenon occurs in Sweden, as well, on the island of Mjorn, making the Swedish beach look like an alien world.