Tasmania is often left off people’s travel bucket list, especially given that there are so many blogs and guides about Australia and New Zealand. This is a shame as Tasmania is home to some particularly beautiful natural sites and “Preservation Bay” is definitely one of them.
Visitors of the bay have not only been able to admire the beautiful coastline, but could also see a luminous, sapphire light as a result of blue algae.
The neon phenomenon is not only visually spectacular, but has some pretty interesting science behind it.
“It is a single cell organism called noctiluca scintillans, which literally means ‘night light’,” Professor Hallegraeff told Culture Trip.
He continued: “The mechanisms of bioluminescence have evolved in our planet, and it’s a way of protection. The same way that fireflies attract a mate, this plankton flashes as an animal approaches. Similar to a burglar alarm.”
Unfortunately, you are not always guaranteed to see the stunning effect of nature’s burglar alarm, as Hallegraeff explained: “This organism is very unpredictable and is sensitive to turbulence. It can be in full view one night, and then if a storm hits it’s gone the next.”