Beautiful luminous waves were observed in the Netherlands: how do they appear and when do you see them with us? | Martin Peters

In recent days you can enjoy luminous waves in different places in the Netherlands during an evening stroll on the beach. Some photographers even managed to capture this beautiful natural phenomenon on camera. But did you know that you can also see this with us?

Not only in the Netherlands, but also in Belgium, on a warm summer evening, you can suddenly see how the crests of the waves magically light up blue or green. The person responsible for this unintentional light spectacle is Sea Spark. C-Sparkle, that is Noctiluca scintillansIt’s a single-celled organism barely a millimeter in size that lives in our seaside resorts. The name literally means “flashing night light”. It resembles a small, translucent balloon with a salmon-pink tail during the day. But at night, the single cell turns our coast into a spectacle of light.

This marine luminescence is able to do this because of a process called bioluminescence. When a puddle of seawater disturbs your foot or waves set in motion, a number of molecules come into action, creating blue sparks. The purpose of the monocell: to deter enemies (but lure inadvertent onlookers).

Read more below the image.

You will not be able to admire this natural phenomenon every night. The Belgian weather determines whether or not you will succeed. You have the best chance of success during a quiet, warm evening. Then the sea sparkles in large numbers in shallow places. But if the temperature drops a few degrees or the sea becomes rougher, it will escape back into deeper waters. Summer days with a maximum of around 25°C with little wind are ideal for searching for the spark of the sea.