Massive Red Tide Floods San Diego Surf Spots, Makes Bioluminescent Waves Beneath Rare Super Moon

Dashel Pierson
·1 min read

A large plume of lingulodinium polyedra has descended upon San Diego waters.

Although tough to pronounce in its official name, the aforementioned phytoplankton are quite common. And they mean two things: 1) red tide, and 2) bioluminescence.

Toss in a rare super moon and you’ve got something pretty special.

Referring to the red tide, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography wrote:

“A red tide near a Del Mar mooring was spotted quickly moving landward earlier this week. 👀

“What exactly does this mean?

“The ruddy-looking waters are a result of the phytoplankton 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘦𝘥𝘳𝘢 forming dense blooms, and when this is happening, you can see pigments that give off a reddish color. Researchers at Scripps Oceanography and Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System said this also means that there's a chance for bioluminescence in the evening!”

And bioluminescence there was. Beneath the super moon.

PyroFarms, a company which sells bioluminescent products, posted:

“I was taking pictures of the algal bloom at Moonlight Beach last night and did not know I would end up with some great surfing shots. It was a fun night at Moonlight Beach in the Moonlight. Encinitas, California. Big bright moon, campfires and bioluminescent waves. Moonlight was Moonlit last night.”

For more information on what red tide, algal blooms, and bioluminescence are, Scripps also posted this helpful explainer video:

Science. Pretty neat.

***

Don't miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.

Whether you're a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.