Glowing Bioluminescent Waves Dazzle Nature-Lovers on California’s Coast

The surf off the coast of a California town glowed like it was extraterrestrial. It happened on Monterey Bay, part of California’s Central Coast. But the otherworldly glow is not the work of aliens. It’s actually an earthly phenomenon, known as bioluminescence. The glow is caused by plankton known as dinoflagellates. The motion of the waves sets off a chemical reaction in the tiny organisms. The reaction emits light, causing the glow.