Incredible Bioluminescent Sea Sparkles Cause a Glowing Shore in Wales

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No, your eyes are not deceiving you. The glowing sea isn't the result of Photoshop, but some of nature's smallest organisms. Captured off the coast of North Wales by photographer Kris Williams, the phenomenon is caused by bioluminescent plankton. Though typically found in the warm waters of the Caribbean or Southeast Asia, the glow is a defense mechanism that Williams first spotted at Penmon Point beach on the island Anglesey a few weeks ago.

 
Bioluminescence is when living organisms produce and emit light. It's used by both marine and terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates for a variety of purposes—camouflage, mimicry, communication, and defense. In the case of Noctiluca scintillans or sea sparkle, the glow is a defense for the plankton, who make their predators more vulnerable to larger predators due to the light. The bioluminescence is evident when the water is disturbed by waves—or photographers trying to get a good shot.