California Coast Glows Blue Again. Here's Why!

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — A recent video posted to Instagram showed a dog treading glowing electric blue water in Newport Beach.

The dog named Balto was surrounded by an aura of blue as he swam in video captured by Los Angeles photographer Patrick Coyne. The footage has not been edited, and it's not magic either: It's science.

Bioluminescent organisms along the Golden State's coast are responsible for the eye-catching phenomenon, the same glow that evoked head-scratching last year after another video of bioluminescent waves in Laguna Beach was captured and shared by Coyne.

It's the second time Coyne's witnessed the blue waves this year, he said.

"I can’t believe the bioluminescence is back again," Coyne wrote on Instagram. “Two separate events now in 2021. Last month's event lasted about a week but Mother Nature has decided to gift us with some more bio goodness."

So what are the organisms that create this enchanting sight?

Tiny creatures that turn bright blue in "predator avoidance behavior," according to bioluminescence expert Michael Latz, a scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.

Bioluminescence is common among small organisms that live in the ocean, from the surface to the seafloor, according to the Smithsonian Institution.

"Humans primarily see bioluminescence triggered by a physical disturbance, such as waves or a moving boat hull, that gets the animal to show their light off, but often animals light up in response to an attack or in order to attract a mate," according to the Smithsonian website.

In the deep sea, the glowing phenomena are extremely common. Bioluminescence has been observed in many marine organisms such as bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish and even sharks. In fish, there are about 1,500 known species that have the ability.

"Because the deep sea is so vast, bioluminescence may be the most common form of communication on the planet," Smithsonian experts said.

In Orange County, the sightings come a few times a year. Check out this footage of dolphins playing in the blue luminescent waves last year.

Have you seen it? Send your bioluminescent pictures to Patch! We'll share them with our readers.