Tourists, as well as resident families and groups of friends, were seen visiting Hulhumale Beach to observe the phenomenon of natural bioluminescence, which occurs seasonally across just about all of Maldives'.
Even though the bioluminescence itself is hardly uncommon, sightings such as these in vast numbers and especially around populous areas, are not as prevalent. In this case, social media is likely deserving of all thanks for notifying so many nature enthusiasts and click-happy young people, within a fairly short window.
With Easterly wind today , experienced starry starry blue light of bioluminescent plankton in hulhumale beach, I wished I had a good camera to capture that , photographers should be there around 4:30 in the morning for this , tomoro 🤙🏾✨
— Saazu_aloha 🥥 (@alohasaazu) December 19, 2020
"It was a lovely sight to behold", said a local beachgoer, who was there with her daughter, sister and nieces. "Reminded me of my childhood and was a great memory to share with our kids".
20th December 2020@alohasaazu told me that there will be bioluminescent planktons at Hulhumale today. I saw this phenomenon a few years back but I couldn't document it. But finally today I was able to!!! @niyadhuru_ and @thephaa joined me as well.
— Ashham (@beybe_am) December 20, 2020
❤️🌌 pic.twitter.com/N5EdAynivP
An English tourist who'd travelled to Maldives last week described his chance encounter as "the most magical bit of happiness I've experienced all year".
According to some visitors, the blue glow was more visible across the beaches of phase two, though whether this is because of the lower levels of light pollution, or actually attributed to larger levels of plankton present, remains unclear.
'Redhan-lun', as it is locally called, occurs when blooms of bioluminescent plankton are washed ashore in large numbers by tidal currents and they light up whenever agitated - as it is a defence mechanism, nearly any movement will achieve that. This specific family of plankton dinoflagellates, produce a chemical called luciferin, which is responsible for the 'cold' light that the tiny organisms emit. .
Although the timing is nearly impossible to predict due to the vastness of variables, such bioluminescence is most often spotted during the Nakaiy of Iruvai (Maldives' indigenous calendar) or the summery Northeast Monsoon, which spans from December to April and is categorized by wind directions.
According to the Nakaiy calendar, December 21, 2020, is the 12th day of Mula, its first segment.
#HappeningNow Redhan belun pic.twitter.com/bpvSmcJdD9
— SHAFRAZ 🇲🇻 (@XefroX) December 20, 2020
Location-wise, apart from the brief periods when waves of planktons spread across stretches of beach to mesmerise a lucky few, the occurrence is more regularly seen far out in the ocean, usually in the same areas where Mantas and Whale Sharks are known to come and feed on these tiny microorganisms.
Just as over the last decades, Maldives has gained international fame for its white sandy beaches, photographs depicting the flawless shores all lit up in stars of blue have, in recent years, also gone viral.
The phenomena were previously captured by several global media outlets. Marine wildlife photojournalist Doug Perrine, says of the time he saw bio-luminesce in the autumn of 2010 and the famous photograph that followed:
"As the last embers of the crimson sunset faded away, a most remarkable scene, supernatural in appearance, began to reveal itself. The gentle surges of water lapping up against the shoreline were glowing with an eerie turquoise radiance, dotted with bright specks of light, much like the stars that were just starting to light up overhead. Every movement of the water excited the source of the illumination."
"When I strolled along the waterline to investigate, each step left a glowing footprint in its wake. I could lift my foot and point the sole forward to use as a torch! With a finger, I could trace messages in shining letters in the sand".
Being a diver, Doug reports being familiar with the phenomenon of bio-luminescence - " I had experienced this marvel on night dives by turning off my torch and waving my arms and swim fins around to excite the plankton. But it wasn’t until I was on a safari boat cruising the islands of Raa Atoll, in the far north of the Maldives archipelago that I managed to capture it on camera".
Meanwhile, locals have reported sightings of a different creature washed up on the same beaches - the Portuguese-man-o'-war (Physalia physalis), which though may be aesthetically pleasing, is also a little more nefarious than the 'sea sparkle'.
Sometimes known as bluebottle and locally dubbed 'Fira-un Mudhaa', the fairly poisonous marine hydrozoan was also photographed washed up on the same beaches, and visitors are urged to exercise caution persuing the area for interesting, and perhaps glowing, finds.
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