Recently, the waters of several beaches along the state of California experienced an eye-catching natural phenomenon which saw the waves glowing a bright blue. Caused by microscopic organisms capable of synthesizing light to evade predators, the colourful display can be quite rare. Luckily for some locals, they were on hand to witness it.

Local photographer Patrick Coyne captured an amazing video from a boat that showed dolphins swimming through the blue waves. According to Patrick, to be able to find the animals at night and also catch them aglow in the bioluminescence was a once in a lifetime event.

“Seeing this in person is something you dream about. I never thought it would actually happen but I’m so thankful it did. I’ve seen a lot of wildlife over the years on the ocean but seeing these incredible dolphins swimming in pitch black water with them glowing is truly magical. It was one of the best nights of my life. We definitely knew it was possible to see dolphins glowing under the water since Newport Beach had really good bioluminescence. The challenge is actually finding it and then having an animal swim through it at the same time,” he said.

Cinematographer Skylar Wilson also managed to capture an amazing video of surfer Blair Conklin riding the shimmering waves at night.

“It has been absolutely mind blowing to experience this spectacle of nature. I've lived at the beach my entire life and have never seen anything quite like it. I could not have foreseen this surge of bioluminescence, and speaking to friends who have lived in Southern California their whole lives, it seems like this amount of red tide is very rare. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have witnessed it, let alone capture it on camera,” she told Lonely Planet.

“The reaction to the video has been crazy. I definitely didn't expect it to take off like this. I'm happy that I could create something that has resonated so positively with people all over the world. Nature truly is amazing!” Skylar added.

Read more:

The canals of Venice look very different without tourists

These lions are enjoying the absence of visitors in Kruger

National Park

Whales are thriving in oceans without cruise and container ship traffic