Remember the magical blue sea from Life of Pi? Well, these days Mumbai’s Juhu beach too is glowing fluorescent blue. The water along the coast is glowing in the dark and it’s an out-of-the world experience, to say the least.
The rare natural occurrence is known as ‘bioluminescence’ which is caused by dinoflagellete, a plankton found in coastal areas.
The neon blue emission is caused due to the churning of sea-waves which disturbs the plankton causing them to release the blue light. Calling this phenomena a mystery, Dr. Parvish Pandya, assistant professor of Zoology and vice-principal, Bhavan’s College, said:
This lovely phenomenon is a must-see for Mumbaikars. It can surface anywhere, and that’s the mystery.
It’s not a common phenomenon in the west coast and it was after a long time when it first occurred in January. This is the second time that it occurred along the Mumbai coast. As reported by the Nat Geo Traveller, Dr. Parvish Pandya said: