Nature
PUBLISHED
It's tempting to think the most beautiful natural phenomena can only be found in far-flung exotic locations, but sometimes nature has the power to take your breath away on your own doorstep.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.Residents of Anglesea, an island off the north coast of Wales, saw their shores light up last week as the sea started "sparkling" a spectacular bright blue. Luckily, local photographers were on the scene to capture images of the stunning phenomenon.
The second of these seagazers, Kris Williams, went further and managed to record some frankly breathtaking footage of the event.
Kris Williams can be found at @jixxerkris on Twitter and on Facebook at Photography by Kris Williams.
So what causes the water to light up like this? It's all down to one of the smallest organisms on Earth: bioluminescent plankton. Usually found in warmer waters such as the Caribbean or Southeast Asian seas, these tiny creatures let out a burst of neon blue light when disturbed – by waves, currents, or in this case, photographers.
"I've been fortunate enough to witness the bioluminescence on the Welsh coast many times over the past five years, both in North and South Wales. You can scoop the water up in your hands and see the plankton covering your fingers like tiny stars, or swim in the water and watch as the waves light up where you swim through them," Kris explained to local news outlet Wales Online.
Kris posted his video on Twitter where it caught the eye of BBC Wales News, causing a wave of interest from people enchanted by the unusual sight. In response to one Twitter user who compared the phenomenon to the Northern Lights, Kris gifted us with another magical photo of the two events coinciding.
For more stunning photos of bioluminescent plankton lighting up the sea, click here – or here to watch a video of the phenomenon in the sea around Tasmania.
