Tasmania’s glowing coastline: How to spot bioluminescent magic before it disappears

If you haven’t yet witnessed the glowing blue “sea sparkle” created by a bioluminescent sea creature now might be a good time, as Tasmania is currently experiencing its biggest bloom in nearly a decade.

The sea sparkle, a bioluminescent plankton, formally known as Noctiluca scintillans, has been illuminating the night along the Tasmanian coastline since before Christmas.

Stunning photos and videos shared online capture almost surreal scenes from the natural event, where bioluminescence is produced by living organisms, creating a natural glow.

While it appears in the Tasmanian waters every year, this year’s is the biggest scientists have seen since 2015.

Experts are urging people who are interested to watch it while they can, as it is unpredictable.

Where to see it?

According to NewsWire, the best spots along the Tasmania coast to witness the natural wonder include Adventure Bay, Eaglehawk Neck, Bellerville, Bruny Island, Battery Point, Montagu Bay, and Hobart’s waterfront.

UNSW marine biologist Professor Iain Suthers said the current temperatures in Tasmania are critical for the bioluminescence to bloom, as it typically occurs when the temperature is between 20 to 22C.

“It happens all along the coast,” Suthers told 7NEWS.com.au.

“It tends to start in the spring of NSW and the summer of Victoria and Tasmania, and then it’ll retreat back up.

“It’ll return back up to NSW in March or April and then it disappears for the winter.”

Areas along the NSW coast such as Palm Beach in Sydney’s north, and Jervis Bay on the state’s south coast have also been reported to see this otherworldly phenomenon, usually during spring and autumn.

How to spot it?

Suthers said the best way to spot bioluminescence was on a dark night, with minimal moonlight and little light pollution.

The glow is often most noticeable when you’re close to the water — whether you’re strolling along the beach or out on a boat.

A typical bloom lasts about three to four weeks, though it varies from year to year.

So, if you’re hoping to catch the current bloom in Tasmania, which began before Christmas, it’s best to act quickly.

“You see it regularly for two or three or four years and then it disappears again. It just comes and goes,” Suthers said.

Why does it happen?

According to Suthers, bioluminescence is linked to a process called oceanographic upwelling, where cold, nutrient-rich water rises to the surface.

This upwelling brings nutrients that help diatoms grow, and diatoms are the preferred food of Noctiluca scintillans (the organism responsible for sea sparkle).

When these conditions are right, it triggers the bioluminescent glow we see along the coast.

Is it a red flag for the environment?

Biologist Dr Lisa-Ann Gershwin told NewsWire the bioluminescent algae, Noctiluca scintillans, could harm marine life by stripping away food sources and oxygen, likening it to a bulldozer that wipes out everything in its path.

She told the ABC the phenomenon was a “red flag” for the state of the environment.

“At night, you just get these fabulous displays of the bioluminescence that take your breath away. They’re so beautiful,” Gershwin said.

“But it’s also a visible indicator that something is wrong.”

However, Suthers explained that while the bioluminescence could impact local marine life, it was a natural phenomenon and not harmful to humans or the environment.

Describing the blooms as a regular occurrence driven by natural oceanographic processes, he doesn’t believe it is a bad sign for the environment either.

“It could actually harm and even kill salmon that are caged because they can’t swim away from the bloom.

“But really, I wouldn’t say that it’s a bad sign of the environment, and I wouldn’t say that it’s dangerous either,” said Suthers.