Glowing Dolphins

[Bram]

https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/cali ... aXCqCi_a5Y

Don't know if you have every swam in a red tide, but it's pretty magical and a bit gross :)

This beats any other video I've seen of it.

[Fat Cat]

Wow that's really cool. That's caused by algae?

[Bram]

"Usually considered considered algae, dinoflagellates are mostly marine plankton."

"Dinoflagellates sometimes bloom in concentrations of more than a million cells per millilitre. Under such circumstances, they can produce toxins (generally called dinotoxins) in quantities capable of killing fish and accumulating in filter feeders such as shellfish, which in turn may be passed on to people who eat them. This phenomenon is called a red tide, from the color the bloom imparts to the water. Some colorless dinoflagellates may also form toxic blooms, such as Pfiesteria. Some dinoflagellate blooms are not dangerous. Bluish flickers visible in ocean water at night often come from blooms of bioluminescent dinoflagellates, which emit short flashes of light when disturbed."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinoflagellate

I went last night and watched the waves crashing like lightning in the clouds. Beautiful.

[Fat Cat]

That's really cool, we don't have that here. At least I've never seen it.

[Bram]

That may be the only benefit of mainland beaches over Hawaii, and it's toxic. But if you're ever in Southern California it's worth visiting the beach at night to see if it's happening.