A red tide at the San Diego beach was a sight for everyone with photographers being the most benefitted. A luminous glow lighted the wave approaching the beach surprising everyone. It was a bioluminescent that added colour to the waters. Bioluminescent is seen in the sea waves when an algae bloom is filled with phytoplankton which lights up the micro-organisms that tumble down from waves near the shore. The light also appears when a surfer paddles on board through the surf.

Similarly, the shores of San Diego were lit up by a bioluminescence-producing red tide in 2013. The spectacular scene was captured by John H. Moore. Scripps Oceanography quoted Scripps scientist Michael Latz saying that "the red tide is due to massive numbers of dinoflagellates including Lingulodinium polyedra".

The Birch Aquarium at Scripps currently has a display called, 'Infinity Cube' which explains the phenomenon.

Here is what the San Diego beach looked like:

However, not all red tides, or harmful algal blooms (HAB), produce the light display. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), One of the best-known HABs occurs each year off Florida's Gulf Coast. This time, researchers do not know how long the red tide will last. Earlier, blooms have lasted between a week to a month or more, however, visibility is not guaranteed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2018 12:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).