ELECTRIC BLUE
Plankton provide mesmerising sight
THESE mesmerising shots of the sea glowing electric blue at night were taken just off the coast of Anglesey.
Taken by amateur photographer Dave Swinburn, the light comes from clouds of plankton, which glow when they are disturbed.
The 49 year-old stumbled upon the natural phenomenon by chance, after originally setting off to Ogwen Valley to get photos of the Milky Way.
He said: “We got attacked by millions of midges there and it clouded over so we decided to go to Penmon to see what we could get there.
“We bumped into Kris Williams, who said the plankton’s started to show and I remembered his amazing photos from the Daily Post a few years ago.
“It was phenomenal to see, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was dark but then, all of a sudden, there’s neon blue lights in the waves.
“We needed bigger waves really to get a bigger show but it was bizarre. It was a great night, we stayed there until half one in the morning.”
Although the photos are spectacular, photography is just a hobby for Dave and not something he takes too seriously.
He added: “I run a pub restaurant which is stressful, so it’s nice to get out and about with like-minded people.
“I’ve been doing it just over two years. I like to capture landscapes, mountains, the Milky Way, things like that.
“If I’d known the plankton were going to be there I’d have set a camera up with time-lapse.
“I don’t know enough about when it is or when it’s going to show again so I’m going to have to do some research and find out.”
The light occurs due to a complex chemical reaction, known as bioluminescence.
Organisms such as jellyfish, squid and fireflies generally use the production of light as a defence against predators.