Electric blue waves at NC beaches? Best spots to see bioluminescence
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bioluminescence in North Carolina coastal waters comes from glowing phytoplankton.
- Outer Banks Kayak Adventures claims it consistently runs bioluminescence kayak tours.
- Visibility improves in total darkness and when southwest winds concentrate phytoplankton.
Water off the coast of North Carolina sometimes glows blue, but the light can be hard to find.
The glow is bioluminescence from phytoplankton, which glow as they photosynthesize. Bioluminescence is usually blue or green, but has been documented in other colors.
A North Carolina photographer once spent two years trying to photograph the phenomenon in the waves off the coast of the Outer Banks, the Charlotte Observer previously reported. Electric blue waves were also spotted in 2016, but the microorganisms that cause the light are more frequently seen in the sound.
Eli Wisden owns Outer Banks Kayak Adventures in Kill Devil Hills. Wisden said the bioluminescence is visible in the sound when wind blows from the Southwest.
While it isn’t as defined as people might imagine or always visible as waves from the beach, bioluminescence can be seen throughout the summer off the coast of North Carolina, he said.
“It’s not like what people have pictured, in Costa Rica or occasionally down on the Florida coast, when there’s massive amounts of phytoplankton in the waves and rolling up on the shore,” Wisden said. “It’s not as bright or as defined as that, but if with the naked eye you can see a glow and glitter in the water, it’s pretty impressive.”
Wisden said his business is the only one that consistently runs kayak tours to see the bioluminescence just inside the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
How to see bioluminescence in NC
“You need to be in total darkness, so you need to know your way around where you’re going and what you’re doing, your eyes need to adjust, so you need to begin paddling after the sun has set, but while it’s still dusk, and then you get to locations where the phytoplankton has built up,” Wisden said.
Wisden said it is important to be careful if you go looking for bioluminescence, and it is easiest if you’re with someone who already knows where it has been seen and knows the area.
“Once it’s dark enough, and there’s no more ambient light from the sun setting, or from nearby towns, you can begin to see it. Then you run your hands through the water, and it’s like glowing glitter running through your fingers,” Wisden said.
Bioluminescence is far more common in the ocean than on land. North Carolina is home to another set of bioluminescent creatures though: synchronous fireflies.
According to the National Parks Service, the glow can serve several purposes for bioluminescent organisms:
- Finding or attracting food
- Avoiding becoming food
- Communication for mating
Inspired by a story from The Olympian in Washington.
This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Electric blue waves at NC beaches? Best spots to see bioluminescence."
