Did you know there is a beach in Mudhood island of the Maldives that glows at night?
Yes, you heard it right Vadhoo island, aka Mudhood island, is known for being a heaven on Earth due to the Sparkling water of Maldives. But they have a lot of surprises that reveal at night. A glowing dark sea at night is no more limited to the fairytales in books or Television!
Now you can see the magical sea live at Vaadho Island!
The Maldives is a 1,192-island nation called the Vaadhoo Island located in the Indian Ocean and the Laccadive Sea. It is Asia’s smallest and most geographically dispersed nation, with the islands spread over 90,000 square kilometers. The island has earned for itself a little tourist spot on the global map. For a long unknown time, this island was kept as a secret, but now after a long time, it has become one of the tourist spots!
It is known for being a heaven on Earth. Its Sparkling water of Maldives has been named the ‘Sea of stars’.
Glowing waves in the Vaadhoo Island can be explained by bioluminescence or natural light, a chemical process in the body of animals in which liberated energy is released in the form of light which is used as a defense mechanism to either distract or confuse the predators.
It is a place where animals and humans co-exist happily!
In the Vaadhoo Island, this stunning phenomenon of bioluminescence is demonstrated by a species of phytoplankton (the marine microbes) called dinoflagellates. Moreover, the sea is vast and mysterious and FULL OF MYSTERIOUS CREATURES!
It may seem like an alien life-form has washed up on a beach, but this striking neon blue effect is an entirely natural phenomenon. Photographer Doug Perrine took the incredible image during his visit to Vaadhoo, one of the beautiful Raa Atoll islands in the Maldives.
This captures a natural chemical reaction called bioluminescence, this chemical reaction occurs when a micro-organism in the water is disturbed by oxygen.
The mesmerizing sparkling water of Maldives
The Mesmerizing Sparkling water of Maldives looks like a mirror that reflects the sparkling stars above in the night sky. However, the mushy secret of this is the phytoplankton who are the marine microbes and are bioluminescent and impart the blue glow at night.
These species create the most romantic and magical natural lighting in the world. The phenomenal reaction is similar to the ‘glow’ that is used by fireflies to attract prey or mates.
Although it is a rare sight on a shoreline, the phenomenon can be more commonly seen at sea in the wake of ships as they stir up the oxygen in the sea, which causes the bioluminescent bacteria to glow.
Many marine organisms’ glow’, especially the creatures that reside at depths of the sea where the light from the surface doesn’t penetrate much.
The night-time glow is considered as the side-effect of blooming red algae, which is known as the red tide; it can turn entire beaches scarlet and murky during the day.
The poignant smell of decay, caused by rotting kelp, plankton, and fish often accompanies the event as the red algae starve the oxygen released from the water and the light.
By night, there is an unusual increase in microscopic plankton called dinoflagellates, which glow in the dark when disturbed by currents or waves.
Mr. Perrine’s photo also shows the Sparkling water of Maldives glow of a ship’s lights on the horizon towards the right of the picture. At the same time, the stars in the above sky provide a subtle contrast to the blue aura on the beach.