Magical moments in the Maldives

Marine wildlife photojournalist Doug Perrine, has been lucky enough to witness the phenomenon several times. He recounts the time he saw bio-luminesce in the autumn of 2010 in the Maldives.

“The island was straight out of a picture postcard: dense jungle foliage in the interior and a long sandy beach wrapping around the perimeter, and nary a human inhabitant. Mouth-watering smells wafted off the portable grill as the crew set up a portable dinner table on the beach. Our safari boat drifted lazily at anchor offshore. For the next few hours we passengers had this Robinson Crusoe island to ourselves. A fiery sunset was illuminating the sky, and a luscious feast was in preparation. What could be better? I was about to find out!



© Doug Perrine

As the last embers of the crimson sunset faded away, a most remarkable scene, supernatural in appearance, began to reveal itself. The gentle surges of water lapping up against the shoreline were glowing with an eerie turquoise radiance, dotted with bright specks of light, much like the stars that were just starting to light up overhead. Every movement of the water excited the source of the illumination. When I strolled along the waterline to investigate, each step left a glowing footprint in its wake. I could lift my foot and point the sole forward to use as a torch! With a finger, I could trace messages in shining letters in the sand. As a diver, I was familiar with the phenomenon of bio-luminescence. I had experienced this marvel on night dives by turning off my torch and waving my arms and swim fins around to excite the plankton. But it wasn’t until I was on a safari boat cruising the islands of Raa Atoll, in the far north of the Maldives archipelago that I managed to capture it on camera. We had stopped for an evening picnic on the uninhabited side of Vaadhoo Island, which has a forested interior, and a sandy beach. As it grew dark, the wave wash lit up with ghostly blue light. This time I fetched my camera. I had no tripod, so I improvised by snuggling the camera into a beach towel placed on a plastic deck chair.”



© Doug Perrine

“The most difficult requirement for photographing bio-luminesce, is to be at the right place at the right time. I only know that I saw the above event at Vaadhoo Island in late October and at another island (without a camera) in Raa Atoll in late September. I have also seen bioluminescence at Kihaadhuffaru Island in Baa Atoll in mid-October, but it was less dramatic, probably because of the resort lights shining on the beach.”



Visit our photography page for tips and advice from Kris and Doug on how to take the best photos of bioluminescent plankton.

