‘Gobsmacking’ glowing algae bloom in Tasmania captured by amateur photographer
A ‘gobsmacking’ glowing algae bloom is creating a sparkly spectacle on Tassie’s beaches. And it’s not too late to catch the stunning display.
Tasmania
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A “gobsmacking” bloom of bioluminescent algae is creating a sparkly spectacle on the South and much of the East coasts of Tasmania.
Amateur Tasmanian photographer Robbie Moles went out on Christmas night with his daughter to have a look and he found a stunning display at the Tessellated Pavements — more than he’d ever seen before.
“While taking photos I actually thought someone was shining a torch on me, that’s how bright it was.
“But then I’d turn around and it was just the bioluminescence in the water,” Mr Moles said.
He said on Christmas night at the Tessellated Pavements he spent almost as much time just looking at the bioluminescence as he did taking photographs of it — with the sparkles visible as far as he could see out on the horizon.
The bloom of noctiluca scintillans has been around for weeks which Tasmanian biologist and expert on marine ecosystems Lisa Gershwin said happens every year, but this one was particularly epic and stunning.
She said last month a “perfect storm” of nutrient sources including from aquaculture, agriculture and sewerage processes converged and led to a massive pulse of salps.
Salps are a semitransparent sea animal that looks like a jellyfish but is more closely related to a human. When these salps died their bodies decaying likely attracted the noctiluca scintillans.
“It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before and I’m sure never will again,” Dr Gershwin said.
Dr Gershwin said she hoped the “magical” bloom was just a once-off as it signifies ill health in the eco system and is a “beauty and beast” for the environment.
“As beautiful as it is, it’s kind of a beauty and beast — it’s really bad news for things that live in the water.”
Harmless to humans, the bioluminescent algae is an introduced marine pest that consumes oxygen from the environment, suffocating other organisms and creating caustic water that burns sensitive fish gills.
Dr Gershwin was unsure how long the sea sparkles would stick around, but said it is very accessible for people to check out and can even be seen at Constitution Dock.
“It truly is all over the place,” she said, with the bloom visible at Adventure Bay, Kettering, Eaglehawk Neck, Bellerive, Battery Point, and absolutely “chockers” in the Tasman Peninsula.
The surface slick of algae is pinky orange during the day and has been seen on satellite images taken off the South West.
Dr Gershwin said the best way to activate the glow was with water and recommended picking up a garden sprayer or just bringing a cup from home.
“It will give you this absolutely breathtaking sparkle, it’s just twinkling,”
Avoid throwing sticks or rocks into the water as this can create a hazard for boats or swimmers.
Dr Gershwin recommended keeping an eye on the bioluminescent Tasmania Facebook page for recent sightings.
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Originally published as ‘Gobsmacking’ glowing algae bloom in Tasmania captured by amateur photographer
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