Big Sur Is Glowing, Thanks To Tiny Bioluminescent Phytoplankton

@georgekrieger

It’s already one of the best drives in the country (or world!), but now, the views of Big Sur are even more spectacular — thanks to some weird weather patterns and tiny sea creatures’ bioluminescence.

The magical phenomenon can be seen near Monterey Bay.

And all along Big Sur.

A post shared by George Krieger (@georgekrieger) on Feb 9, 2018 at 5:34pm PST

The spectacle is called a dinoflagellate bloom.

It’s an abnormally high concentration of tiny sea creatures that emit light.

A post shared by Mike milby (@m3milby) on Feb 10, 2018 at 7:00pm PST

The beautiful glowing is from phytoplankton.

Local experts say it might be species such as Noctiluca, Lingulodinium or Protoperidinium.

A post shared by Tyler (@tylekki) on Feb 10, 2018 at 4:20pm PST

The Pacific waves have been glowing since January.

However, the glow could disappear any day if the weather gets windy.

A post shared by Mich (@emichbe) on Feb 12, 2018 at 7:37am PST

Calm waters make the bright event happen.

When the water is still, the phytoplankton group together and give off more light.

A post shared by George Krieger (@georgekrieger) on Feb 10, 2018 at 2:31pm PST

So if you’re in Cali, it could be time for a midnight road trip!