A man “thought his mind was playing tricks on him” after he spotted a phenomenon on the Lancashire coast.
Dan Allmark was walking along the sea in Bispham when he noticed that the tide was glowing bright blue.
He took some pictures and videos of the phenomenon at around midnight on Sunday, September 10, and posted them to Facebook.
They have since been shared by dozens of people who are fascinated with the pictures.
Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, Dan said: “I thought my mind was playing tricks to begin with and I soon realised what it was.
“I was surprised to see the phenomenon in Blackpool of all places. The sea was having its own illuminations.”
The phenomenon is what is known as a bioluminescence, or blue tide.
It is when the sea glows neon blue or green or even red. Marine creatures, such as fish, squid, tiny crustaceans and algae, produce bioluminescence to either confuse predators, attract prey or even lure potential mates.
We can witness this natural phenomenon when there is a lot of bioluminescence in the water, usually from an algae bloom of plankton
The Department for Environment and Water said: “Have you heard about the natural ocean wonder of bioluminescence?
“It’s when the sea sparkles a neon blue or green or even red. This beautiful sight is definitely one for the bucket list.
“The ocean can glow and glitter like the stars in the sky thanks to a natural chemical process known as bioluminescence, which allows living things to produce light in their body.
“We can witness this natural phenomenon when there is a lot of bioluminescence in the water, usually from an algae bloom of plankton.
“The bioluminescent sea will glow when it’s disturbed by a wave breaking or a splash in the water at night.
“Algae bloom sea sparkle events are caused by calm and warm sea conditions. You can see specks of bioluminescence when it’s created nearby by a light-producing marine creature.”
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