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I fairly frequently see pictures online of this semi-mythical glittering beach in the Maldives. However I can't find any accounts of people having actually visited it and reported on how it was.

Can anyone tell me any hard information about this destination? Is it real? Are these pictures photoshopped? Does it really glitter like this?

JoErNanO
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temporary_user_name
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3 Answers3

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Yep, it's real. This wiki article corresponds with the information you have, and searching the island name itself pulls up lots of information about the destination in mind for you: Vaadhoo (Raa Atoll)

Vaadhoo island is famous for the 'sea of stars.' This marine bioluminescence is generated by phytoplankton known as dinoflagellates. Woodland Hastings of Harvard University has for the first time identified a special channel in the dinoflagellate cell membrane that responds to electrical signals—offering a potential mechanism for how the algae create their unique illumination.

Keep in mind though; there are plenty of alternatives to Vaadhoo Island in the Maldives, which is a resort area.

For more sites to visit, you can refer to this article. To sum it up, there are places in Europe, US, Asia, and Australia where you can view such phenomenom; the "Sea of Stars" isn't as localized as you think.

To prevent link rot I've added in a shortened list of the destinations in the article cited above:

  • Australia
    • Cairns
    • Gippsland Lakes
  • United States
    • Manasquan Beach, NJ
    • Mission Bay, San Diego, CA
    • Torrey Pines Beach, San Diego, CA
    • Cortez, FL
  • Caribbean
    • Luminous Lagoon, Trelawny, Jamaica
    • Mosquito Bay, Vieques, Puerto Rico
  • Asia
    • Halong Bay, Vietnam
    • Bali, Indonesia
    • Ton Sai, Krabi, Thailand
    • Toyama Bay, Japan
  • Europe
    • Zeebrugge, Belgium
    • Norfolk, UK
  • Indian Ocean
    • Reethi Beach, Maldives
    • Vaadhoo Islands, Maldives
yuritsuki
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    Can confirm, seen it. There is no "glitter" however. Rather imagine a bunch of low-powered blue-green LEDs floating along the shoreline. – uncovery May 19 '15 at 09:35
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    +1 for the alternative places to see this phenomenon, I didn't know that was possible in Europe. – downhand May 19 '15 at 10:26
  • @uncovery So was it worth it, was it really very beautiful, or merely mildly cool? – temporary_user_name May 19 '15 at 21:30
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    My kids were pretty awestruck to see something like that, he was pretty amazed how nature often produces really cool things (Aurora borealis, etc). For my kids it was a "Oooh, Aaah" moment, but for myself it was just kind of neat to see it. – yuritsuki May 19 '15 at 22:56
  • @aerovistae It's very nice. But so are many things in the Maldives. If you don't think the Maldives as such are amazing, it won't be worth it going there just foe this. – uncovery May 20 '15 at 00:56
  • Norfolk is a fairly sizeable county with lots of coastline - any idea where exactly in Norfolk? – Francis Davey May 20 '15 at 06:29
  • @FrancisDavey Not exactly; the article doesn't really elaborate, but here's an article that has just a small bit of info about where in norfolk; in short it suggests you can witness the phenomenom anywhere along norfolk's coast link – yuritsuki May 20 '15 at 16:21
  • @thinlyveiledquestionmark - OK. I'm just sceptical because I've spent quite a bit of time on the Norfolk coast - in quite a few places - and never seen it. Either I don't know what I'm looking for or it is not nearly as common as that article suggests. – Francis Davey May 20 '15 at 17:31
  • @FrancisDavey It's not like it happens everyday. The article specifically states: conditions can occur throughout Britain in shallow, warm seas after prolonged sunlight – yuritsuki May 20 '15 at 17:43
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I've seen this in Byron Bay, Australia, it wasn't quite as pronounced as those photos make it out to be if I recall correctly. It's amazing though, as you swim through the water the glowing intensifies as you move through it.

twe4ked
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You can see from the photos that they are long exposures, which will make the "bugs" look a lot brighter than they will appear to the naked eye.

Mission Bay, San Diego, CA Torrey Pines Beach, San Diego, CA

It will be seen all along the west coast, but only when there's a "red tide".

steve
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