It’s a rare sight to see waves crashing in Long Beach – it’s even more rare to see them glowing.
A bioluminescence phenomenon appeared up on the peninsula Thursday night, the dinoflagellates – tiny plankton that turn a bright neon blue when agitated at night – lighting up with the crashing waves.
The big waves making headlines across California this week snuck into Long Beach’s swell window, which doesn’t happen often because of the breakwater rock jetty that sticks out and blocks wave energy. But with just the right swell direction, waves are created.
Photographers Patrick Coyne and Mark Girardeau, who have been documenting the bioluminescent waves since 2020 when an algae bloom lingered for months off the Southern California coast, have created a network of followers who alert them when the neon waves appear.
Coyne had spotted a light biolum up in the South Bay at El Porto, so when he saw a post that someone had also seen it in Long Beach, he knew there could be chance, he said.
“Sometimes it’s hit or miss, because the moon’s reflection can sparkle and people might mistake it for that. And the moon has been bright lately,” he said. “We decided to head over there.”
Girardeau showed up first, just after sunset, stopping at Bolsa Chica, Sunset Beach and other spots along the way, with no luck. When he arrived in Long Beach, it was also a dud, at first.
“Then, I just walked south about a quarter mile, then I saw some glowing waves,” he said. “There was nobody there.”
Coyne said the crashing glowing waves were “phenomenal.”
“That’s probably the brightest I’ve seen there. It’s one of those beaches where it’s not my first thought to catch biolum,” he said. “I’ve seen it before, but last night was probably the brightest I’ve seen there.”
The pair posted their location on social media and it wasn’t long before crowds formed.
That’s part of the fun, Coyne said, people getting to experience the phenomenon for the first time.
“It’s special, that’s part of the reason why I love doing it so much,” he said of chasing the glowing waves at night. “I’ve seen it a million times and it’s still exciting, but it’s cool to give people their first experience, so it’s fun.”
“It was small waves, but there were some sets every 5 to 10 minutes where it would just light up, everyone on the beach would just scream, it was cool,” he said, noting that the islands in the background make for a nice scenery. “Sometimes the smallest waves light up better.”
Pro tip: If trying to shoot video with a newer iPhone, set the video mode on 4k30 frames per second and put the zoom on 1x to allow for the most light, Girardeau said.