Flourescent Tampa Bay

[Jack]

Let me be the first to say that I am a fair weather sailor with the annual 7-10 trip. Mostly I am anchored or docked before sunset but last week was an exception.
I was having friends fly in and planned an evening sail when they arrived. The boat was all stocked for an evening anchor in Tampa Bay. No surprise that the flight arrived 6 hours late so the evening sail turned into a midnight cruise with the auto-pilot with engine power. The moon was nearly full and the weather was warm but calm. I kept asking myself why I didn't do this more often? Anyway, as we motored along we all noticed how flourescent the water was. Our bow and stern wake glowed, I have seem this before but not to this extent. I shut the engine off and drifted to a stop. We could see small fish were swimming by the boat by the green glow they left in the water. In the distance, say 100 yards, I could see what looked like thousands of shrimp jumping in the water making a green/glowing splash as they fell back in the water. Well, it wasn't a minute before we found out the supposed shrimp was rain hitting the calm water but it made for a sight. Funny how the imagination can go to work. I see the bay every night from home. I watch passing ships and boats and never noticed this glow from a few miles. I am guessing the light from the glowing water can't be seen from a distance. Anyway,I was wondering, does the water glow, I mean really glow in your neck of the woods?
thanks, jack

 

[Calif. Ted]

During a Red Tide

it does.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mistress 39]

I believe it is biolumiunescent sea creatures

They glow green when excited by the slightest movement in the water.
It really does look cool when your wake glows.
One time we actually had it in Point Cadet Marina in Biloxi.
One night I woke up about 2AM to tinkle (one of my more macho words). I'm half asleep and I notice what looked like green fireworks. Everywhere the pee sprinkled, it glowed. When I went to flush, the whole head was a glowing whirlpool. I woke up the admiral "hey baby, get up, you gotta see this". She rolled over with a sarcastic questioning voice "what time is it?".
I say" You really gotta check this out". She again repeats herself "what time is it?" sounding comically annoyed. Finally I get her out of the bunk and we spent the next 30 mins. flushing. We then went out on the back deck and turned on the hose (the boat's hose, not mine) and aimed it upward. Everwhere the water hit was glowing. If you have never seen this, you are really missing something. Its not like it's kinda glowing, it is REALLY glowing.

Tony B

 

[Wanderer138]

Northern end of Indian River Lagoon

Sailing at night is a great way to beat the oppressive heat and afternoon thunderstorms in central Florida in the summertime. I used to keep the boat just south of Titusville and the bioluminescence on the Indian River was unreal. It's bright blue, almost like the force field around the spaceships in the movie "Independence Day". Try going out on a moonless night if you really want to be impressed.

I've seen it in a few other places as well, including Trinidad and the Gulf of Guinea. Although its color and intensity varies, bioluminescence is always a spectacular sight. I'd rank it right up there with meteor showers, green flashes and nighttime thunderstorms.

Peter
H23 "Raven"

 

[Benny]

Jack, I have seen it in the Bay but I guess

the intensity varies at certain times depending on conditions. It is due to the presence of a bioluminicent organism. I don't know if it is an algae or another type of organism but the paint anything that moves in the water. There are a few places around the world which are famous for their phosphorous bays where they get large concentrations of these organisms. When I first saw it here I was elated because that meant that the Bay was finally back, alive and well.

 

[CalebD]

Way up north here we get phosphorescence in the water too

But only when the water warms up above 70 degrees or so. It is pretty cool for night swimming when there is no moon anywhere there is little or no light 'pollution' from civilization. We also get stinging jellyfish this time of year so night swimming (skinny dipping) should be done with caution. I am talking about the LI Sound at around 41' N latitude.
You guys down on the Gulf get the phosphorescence creatures for much more of the year than we do; you also have Man-O-War jellyfish although I have seen one blow up on a LI ocean beach. I am not a marine biologist but I think that it is largely a salt water phenomenon. When I crewed on a boat going from Tortola to the Turks & Caicos (equitorial Atlantic) a month ago we left a nice stream of light as we plowed through the open water for 3 nights (and 4 days). On that recent trip every night brought a lightning show in the clouds at sundown. A little later the light from the sea creatures showed up. The cloud to cloud lightning rarely made much noise so we speculated that there was probably lightning going on up there in the late afternoon as well; we just could not see it because of the sunlight or hear it.

 

[Patrick , S/V Shangra-La]

The glowing is a phosphorescent algea

When disturbed it glows , It can be seen best when the light polution is very low. It's great when a dolphin swims by. The warmer the water gets the more it glows

 

[Jim Kolstoe]

Not in fresh water

I mostly sail in fresh water and I have not seen or heard of bioluminesence in fresh water. However, I remember a night dive in Hood Canal (Washington state) many years ago where I was fascinated to see my bubbles lit by a soft green glow, and the same glow swirling off my fins as I kicked along. The dive master said it was an algae that lit up when disturbed, similar to foxfire on land. And yeah, its beautiful.
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mistress 39]

One scene in jaws

There was a scene in Jaws where a girl was swimming for her life toward a buoy and the green glow was all around the buoy. It wouldnt look real to someone that has never seen this before. Maybe in the movie it wasnt real, but i remember that scene vaguely.

Tony B

 

[Ross in Tampa]

when I wade fish...

When I wade fish early before sunrise, you can see my glowing footprints under the water...pretty cool.

 

[Steve O.]

Saw it in Charlotte Harbor

Once on a night sail out by Cabbage Key. It was magical!

 

[Nice N Easy]

If you have never seen it

Your really missing a fantastic sight. There was a scene in Apollo 13, where Tom Hanks is describing a total electrical failure on his airplane, and he says he had no idea where he was, but he followed the glowing green trail of the wake directly to the carrier. It is an amazing and beautiful sight, so see your wake glowing a soft green behind the boat.

 

[bio]

19 year old sailor on the fantail of an aircraft carrier in the Indian ocean...

never seen anything like if before or after... FMITW, it is thought to be defense mechanisim to attract larger fish to eat the smaller stuff eating the [mostly] dinoflagellates.

 

[Stillraining]

My kids

love to take a boat hook or some stick and make patterns or wright words in the waters surface when its going off around here.

 

[Breaking wind]

we get a glow in lake Michigan

near some power plants, but I am sure it's an entirely different reason.

seriously tho

I have heard tales of rescues being possible because of the glowing algae helping to see the stranded boat(s).

 

[Glenn]

Made a moon light sail

in Galveston Bay Saturday night and saw it for the first time. The glow only lasted of a second or two.

 

[Karl]

Nights!

I get the glow out here frequently, just sometimes it is stronger than others. It is interesting to see it in the middle of the night when you are flushing a head with sea water.