Sea kayakers paddling through the waters near Larrabee State Park south of Bellingham in Whatcom County were recently treated to a rare glow in the surf.
“Here in the Salish Sea, we have a type of bioluminescence that’s produced by a plankton — the plankton known as dinoflagellates … So you need fully dark, no lights around. And then when the plankton becomes agitated is when you get that sparkle,” said owner of Moondance Sea Kayak Adventures, Sophia Rouches.
“If you break it down bio meaning life and lumen meaning light and so bioluminescence is really the all-encompassing term that refers to life that gives off light,” said Rouches.
Daniel Kim