People are travelling to a UK beach that "lights up" at night with what has been described as "pixie dust" in the water.
The sea glowing is a phenomenon usually restricted to tropical destinations like Thailand or the Maldives, but it can be seen right here in Britain. One of the best places in the UK to witness the bioluminescent plankton is Anglesey and the west Wales coast.
Light is dispersed from the plankton when they are agitated, for example by waves. Swimmers and paddlers can also create displays of what some people call “pixie dust” in the water.
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North Wales Live reports the coastal bioluminescence appears during the summer months, and searching out the displays is becoming increasingly common. If you want to see them, however, you will need plenty of patience and quite a bit of luck.
Until last week, the displays had been concentrated on the Gower Peninsula. But photographers who gathered at Penmon Point, northeast Anglesey, were finally rewarded for their late-night perseverance with some stunning images of the eerie phenomenon.
Adam Thomas, Adam Jones and Rhys Caligari were on day three of their nightly vigils when the “sparkles” made an appearance. When they shared the resulting images, awed social media users described them as “magical”.
Mr Jones said anyone wanting to see the light displays has to be prepared for disappointment. Last year he set aside two weeks to look for them, but "nothing happened".
He said: "This summer we got lucky on the third night we were out. I can see Penmon lighthouse from my garden and from there it’s a 40-minute drive.
"I usually set off about 11pm and stay until 1am-1.30am, or longer if there’s activity. This time there is plenty of plankton but as the seas are so calm, they are slower coming to the shore.
"And as the surface is so flat, there are few waves to create the luminescence. Luckily there were others on the beach who were throwing stones into the sea to disturb the plankton.”
Knowing the best conditions to see plankton is difficult, and even when the stars align the displays often fail to materialise. The plankton seems to favour warm seas and clear, sunny days, with the best displays often seen on darker nights.
Penmon is renowned as one of the best places in Britain to see the lights. Once displays have been confirmed there each summer, the beach car often fills at night as people come in the hope of witnessing the shoreline lights.
If they are lucky, the sea glitters a neon blue like the stars in the sky, occasionally greens or even reds are seen too. It’s a beautiful sight that’s definitely one for the bucket list.
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