‘Magical’ Clip of Dolphins Swimming in Bioluminescent Water Goes Viral

A night view of dolphins swimming in blue-tinted bioluminescent waves in Marina del Rey, California, has captivated viewers on TikTok.
The mesmerizing scene was captured in a video posted by Josh Gravley (@joshg_photos), 25, who is based in Orange County in Southern California. The clip has amassed 5.6 million views since it was shared on October 28.
A caption shared with the post reads: “Dolphins jumping around in bioluminescence near Venice Pier!”
Gravley told Newsweek: “I work a normal 9 to 5 [job] but photograph as much as I can. My passion in photography is definitely nature and wildlife.”
The footage was captured on October 25 and the dolphins were spotted around 11 p.m. or midnight local time, the poster said. The clip shows dolphins bobbing in and out of blue-lit pockets in the water, created by bioluminescent organisms in the ocean that emit light.
“We knew there might be a chance of seeing them, but it’s exponentially harder to find dolphins at night,” Gravley noted, adding: “We had expectations but they were decidedly low.”
About a week and a half before he filmed this video, “the LA area had been getting some exceptionally bright bioluminescence,” Gravley said, noting “this was our second time on a boat in the area that week. The first time we didn’t spot any dolphins.”
Bioluminescence is the ability of an organism to produce and emit light.
“The light emitted by a bioluminescent organism is produced by energy released from chemical reactions occurring inside (or ejected by) the organism,” explains the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The natural phenomenon is relatively rare to witness on land but is quite common in ocean waters within “the pelagic zone,” where 80 percent of the animals that live between a depth of 656 feet and 3,280 feet are bioluminescent, according to the NOAA.
Bioluminescence is commonly spotted among fish, squid and gelatinous zooplankton, such as jellyfish, siphonophores, comb jellies, and other animals that are mostly made of water.
While bioluminescence typically presents as blue, as “the light that travels best through the water,” its color can also range from nearly violet to green-yellow as well as “very occasionally red,” the NOAA says.
Witnessing bioluminescence can feel like a rare treat because bioluminescent organisms are difficult to observe. Bright lights can cause some animals to move away, while transparent and camouflaged organisms may be “virtually invisible even with strong lights,” and “many types of bioluminescence can’t be seen under ordinary visible light,” the NOAA says.
Bioluminescence is typically used to warn or evade predators, to lure or detect prey, and for communication between members of the same species. However, the functions of bioluminescence are not known for all animals, the NOAA notes, so “much about bioluminescence remains a mystery.”
The poster of the viral TikTok clip told Newsweek: “Bioluminescence in Southern California is always a welcomed treat.”
Gravley said he had been lucky enough to see dolphins in bioluminescence probably around 10 to 12 times so far, including multiple species, from the common dolphin to bottle nose dolphins. He’s also seen them on Florida’s east coast and the west coast of California.
“Moments like these are why I’m proud to be a photographer. Capturing such beautiful animals and phenomena feels very special,” Gravley concluded in a caption shared with the post.
Viewers on TikTok were blown away by the moment captured in the viral clip.
User @bryceadambrown wrote: “Our planet rly is magical.”
Cheybabyxoxo said: “No one can convince that’s NOT magic.”
“Wow, this video captures the sheer magic of nature! Witnessing dolphins playfully leaping in the mesmerizing bioluminescence near Venice Pier is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Hats off to the talented photographer who beautifully captured this extraordinary moment,” said @qkn55qvtl0.
“This is absolutely incredible,” noted zoya.
Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via [email protected] and your story could be featured on Newsweek.