Stars in the sea

By Fran Southgate

One year, my neighbour and I decided to go wild and have a midnight swim in the sea near Shoreham. We weren’t really expecting much except to get slapped round the face with a few waves and to end up a bit cold and wet. Upon diving into the water however, we both thought our eyes needed adjusting, as suddenly there were hundreds of tiny explosions of light skittering off the eddies we created in the sea. After a few minutes debating whether we were seeing things, we realised that actually what we were seeing is a fairly uncommon phenomenon called bioluminescence.

Bioluminescence is a spectacular thing to watch, and for me it is one of the true wonders of nature. It more or less means ‘living light’ and it occurs in a number of living things, both on the land and in the water, amongst other things in animals, insects and plants. Using unique chemical reactions, these living organisms can produce light in their bodies for camouflage, attraction, or even communication amongst bacteria.

The most likely bioluminescent organism you will see in Sussex is the Glow Worm, but there is also a multitude of marine life which bioluminesces. Snakelocks Anemones can be found in Sussex rock pools, and they are just one of the magical creatures which take on a new form once the lights go out at night. The organism which generated the ‘sparkly fingertips’ phenomenon during our swim was most likely a type of marine algae. They don’t always glow, but when conditions are right (high nutrients, warm water and sun, etc) algal populations can explode. Things like pollution on the other hand can have a negative impact on bioluminescent potential.

For me, when you see something as beautiful as bioluminescence you are transported back to the wonder of being a child. It’s absolutely fascinating to be surrounded by something that reacts to your movement by creating light. It feels like the algae is transforming your movement into a different form of energy and it’s captivating.

So if you just happen to be paddling along the shore at night time over the next few weeks, it’s definitely worth having a look down at the waves to see if you have suddenly developed sparkly toes!