12 of the world's best bioluminescent beaches

Times

a day ago

Bioluminescence might have a tidy scientific explanation — think trillions of light-emitting plankton reacting to movement — but no biology lesson can prepare you for the real-life spectacle of the 'underwater northern lights'. Wade into Mosquito Bay on Puerto Rico's Vieques island and watch in wonder as your fingers leave ethereal, glowing blue trails in their wake. Paddle Vietnam's Ha Long Bay at midnight to witness the Gulf of Tonkin perform a glittering dance as your kayak slices through the stillness. In Japan's Toyama Bay, it's firefly squid that steal the show, rising from deep canyons each spring to transform fishing boats into floating electric-blue constellations. Even the Jersey Shore — just an hour south of New York City — has its moment: in summer, Manasquan Beach glows blue by night, red by day. Yes, a new moon, dark skies and minimal light pollution help, but anyone who's experienced this phenomenon will surely harbour a suspicion that magic also plays its part. From Tasmania to Thailand, these are the world's best bioluminescent beaches.
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Sprinkled across the East China Sea, this group of islands is named after a statue of Mazu, the Taoism goddess of the sea, on the main island of Nangan. Each year, their rocky shorelines begin to glow from May, and there's a chance to spot the phenomenon until September. Travellers can witness the spectacle, romantically referred to as 'blue tears' by locals, around a few of the islands. There are no guarantees of seeing the blue tears in the wild but Nangan is home to the Matsu Blue Tears Ecological Museum, where algae is cultivated and you can see the phenomenon in a lab-like environment.
Accommodation in the Matsu islands tends to be quite basic, but home stays can offer a good way to experience the off the beaten track destination. Try Matsu Seaside View Homestay on Nangan, which is close to one of the beaches where blue tears appear.
Set your compass for magic on the tropical paradise that is Havelock Island. Officially known as Swaraj Dweep, and one of the largest of India's Andaman Islands, it's accessible via a short hop by ferry or seaplane from capital Port Blair. While days are best spent exploring the island's wildlife-rich rainforests, after dark, it's the mangrove forests that dazzle — particularly around the new moon phase from November to January, when weather and water conditions are optimal for a bioluminescent extravaganza. Join a night kayaking tour from Havelock Jetty to explore the mangrove-lined waters in which plankton thrive, witnessing the glowing waters — and some of the island's best beaches, including Elephant, Radhanagar, Beach No. 5 and Kalapathar — up close.
For luxury with exceptional service, book a stay at the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Andamans.
The balmy summer and autumn months are your best bet for catching a bioluminescent display on the enchanting Caribbean 'Spice Isle' of Grenada, where — when conditions are right — coastlines literally light up with life. Luminous nightly shows come courtesy of the marine algae noctiluca scintillans, which glows an atypical bold amber-orange — a reaction to organic matter in the tides. Locals often liken the drifting spots to embers dancing across the waves, with the spectacle having been seen in recent years from beaches including La Sagesse and Grand Anse.
Spice Island Beach Resort is one of Grenada's best hotels and has a prime location right on Grand Anse beach.
Hidden on the southern coast of Vieques, off the east coast of mainland Puerto Rico, this narrow inlet widens into a dolphin-shaped bay of mangroves that protects the brightest occurrence of bioluminescence in the world according to Guinness World Records. Mosquito Bay is thick with diamond-bright dinoflagellates that shimmer come nightfall. To protect the delicate ecosystem, no swimming is allowed. You can arrange a boat tour, but we recommend booking a glass-bottom kayak tour for an otherworldly immersion.
The nearest town to Mosquito Bay is Esperanza, where Puertas at El Quenepo offers a characterful stay on the seafront.
Nicknamed the 'Sea of Stars' island, Vaadhoo sits in Raa Atoll in the Maldives and is home to fewer than 500 people. Visit during the dry season, between December and March, to improve your chances of a sighting. Come nightfall, head to the uninhabited northern tip of the islet to stroll barefoot amid the stars and trace messages in shining letters in the sand.
Experience the bioluminescence during a stay at Vaadhoo View Inn, a homestay close to the Sea of Stars beach.
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The months of March to May mark hotaru-ika (firefly squid) season in Toyama Bay. Situated on the west coast of Japan, a couple of hundred miles northwest of Tokyo, this deep v-shaped canyon fills with mass gatherings of the three-inch-long squid. During the day, these cephalopods live at great depths, but each evening they ascend to the surface to mate and the photophores at the end of their tentacles light up. Sightseeing boats depart at 3am from the fishing port of Namerikawa for a two-hour tour to the spawning grounds where you can watch fishers (the squid are a delicacy) haul up an illuminated catch that turns their boats into turquoise beacons.
The 13-day Cycle Japan tour from Explore! includes an overnight stay in Toyama Bay with a chance to sample the local seafood — keep your fingers crossed to see those firefly squid while you're there.
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This unassuming tree-fringed shallow-water beach on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, 26 miles north of Auckland on New Zealand's North Island, is usually frequented by families visiting for a safe paddle. Matakatia is a quiet suburb punctuated with pockets of nature reserve and home to just over 2,000 people — and when the tides are right, 'blue gold' can be seen. Locals report algae blooms are strongest when heavy rain is followed by a hot evening, with peaks occurring two hours either side of high tide. Tindalls beach, just a little further north, is also a good spot.
Consider visiting this remote spot on a self-drive holiday. Travelbag has several options including a 21-day Ultimate New Zealand Campervan Adventure.
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Warming seas brought bioluminescence to Tasmania in the early 1990s. For the best sea sparkle make a beeline for Coles Bay — incidentally, the first town in the world to ban plastic shopping bags — which sits inside Freycinet National Park, a three-hour drive from Hobart. Its knuckles of greened granite mountains punch into azure bays and the lack of light pollution makes phytoplankton easy to spot. Start your search at Honeymoon Bay or the oh-so-photogenic perfect smile of white sand at Wineglass Bay.
The seven-day Tasting Tasmania & Flinders Island tour from AAT Kings is a small-group adventure that includes a two-night stay in Coles Bay.
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Known for its limestone pinnacles jutting from the emerald Gulf of Tonkin, Unesco-listed Ha Long Bay in northeast Vietnam is a popular tourist destination and a bit of a gamble due to a rise in sediment. You'll need to book a reputable overnight boat tour, as they know the safe paddling spots. Most tours include squid fishing and shine lights on the water. You'll usually need to wait until midnight for these to be switched off. Then you can swim and swish your arms to see bioluminescent algae sparkle.
The 14-day Vietnam & the Reunification Express tour from Wendy Wu includes a two nights cruising in Halong Bay, and will take you from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City as part of the itinerary.
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Selected as a filming location for Survivor, this tropical island, a 40-minute ferry ride from Sihanoukville on the Cambodian mainland has developed only 15 per cent of its land, so there's very little light pollution if you avoid the main tourist area of Koh Touch. On moonless evenings, head around the corner to the sugar-sand Long Set Beach for a sparkly swim, or book one of the boat tours advertised on the beach.
The 14-day Ultimate Cambodian Adventure from G Adventures visits Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap, Kratié, Kampong Cham, Kampot, Kep, as well as Koh Rong.
Unbelievably, just an hour south of New York City, this strip of sand, which is one of the most popular Jersey Shore beaches, experiences algal blooms between July and September. During the day, the dinoflagellates mass together until the water turns red and creates a red tide, but at night they appear as electric blue waves. If you turn up at sunset, you'll be able to experience both.
A 20-minute drive north, Asbury Ocean Club Hotel is one of the nicest places to stay on this stretch of coast.
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On the east coast of Bali, an hour from the capital of Denpasar, Padangbai is the main departure point for ferries to the neighbouring island of Lombok and one of the island's busiest ports. It's the last place you'd expect to see bioluminescence. But join a night dive and they'll take you beneath the waves and encourage you to turn off your torch and kick your fins to discover an Avatar-esque world of blue.
The beachfront OK Divers Resort & Spa is the perfect base — it's Padi-certified and suitable for new and experienced divers.
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Additional reporting by Julie Alpine and Qin Xie