‘For bioluminescence to happen, the plankton needs to be moved or disturbed by something, so as the surf crashes onto the shoreline, the waves will ripple in blue light.If you are shining a light onto the water then you won’t see the plankton glow at all, they must have darkness (but they are not affected by moonlight and it’s still possible to see them under a bright moon).’ ‘If you are out walking on a beach at night, turn off your torch, phone light and any other lights, to let your eyes acclimatise to the darkness and you’ll soon be able to find your way around.Remember that this indicator tends to be only for larger displays, and if you can’t see any red algae it doesn’t mean that the plankton isn’t present.’ ‘It is sometimes possible to spot the blooms during the day, by looking for clumps of red algae in the water near the shoreline – this is a good indicator that the plankton are present there and that its worth visiting that spot again the following night.You need the darkness in order to be able to see them.’ ‘Needless to say you will need to be out looking during the night time, plankton have a circadian rhythm and will only emit bioluminescence during that time.Some displays I’ve seen only occur for a night, others have stayed there for several weeks.’ ‘If you heard of a display happening near you try the same spot again over the next night or so, as stronger displays can stay around for a while.
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