Explorer Dips His Hand Into the Ocean at Night — Then the Waters Sparkled Like a Starry Sky

There is glitter in the night, but you can’t see it unless you step forth on an adventure and use your hands to touch it. Just a caress of your fingers it needs, a gentle kiss of your palm, a pummel, an embrace. At first, there is a murmur of glitter particles. Then there are some more, and then an explosion. And while a human’s hand catalyses these night-lights, the waters of the ocean become illuminated in a glowing dance of light, a sight unlike anything else on the planet. For many creatures living in the oceans of the United States, Patrick Coyne (@patrickc_la) is the catalyst. He spends his nights dipping his hands and immersing his hands in this cosmic night-glitter, while the waters spiral, leap, gyrate, swing, slosh, and dance to celebrate this awakening light.  

Most nights are spent roaming in boats and paddleboards, dipping hands in oceans that suddenly glow up at the touch of his hand. Viewers on the internet jump to his social media to immerse themselves in the gallery of his videos, where he is seen waking up the dark waters that glow and glitter, illuminating the night, both spiritual and sensual at the same time.

One footage shows Coyne aboard a kayak, dipping his hand in the waters of Florida. The waters were still and dark, but as he dipped his hand, they lit up in an ethereal blue glow like a cosmic touchlamp. What followed in the coming moments was an enchanting explosion of neon blue glitter. As he pulled out his hand, the camera captured traces of glitter particles clinging and sticking to his fingers as if veiling his flesh in a cloak of stars. “Time is crazy bright. Whoa,” he exclaimed, clearly enraptured by the magical experience.

All of this might sound like a scene from a magical fantasy flick, but it, in fact, is a science rooted in the mysterious chemistry of nature. As OceanX describes, this cosmic glow is part of a phenomenon called “bioluminescence,” where ocean creatures, “dinoflagellates,” light up when touched by a human. It is their defense mechanism that gets activated when jostled by a possible predator. In the winter of 2021, a similar phenomenon unfolded when a microscopic marine algae called Lingulodinium polyedra bloomed in huge numbers off the coast of southern California, per OceanX.

Another explanation comes from National Geographic. The portal explains that bioluminescence is a chemical reaction occurring inside the body of a living organism that unleashes this glowing light. Dubbed as “cold light,” this light is not like the typical light, which is hotter than cool. Only 20% of this light generates thermal radiation or heat, while the rest of it just dazzles around, dancing in the sea like silhouettes of an ocean fairy. In water, they can be jellyfish, fish, algae, lanternfish, squid, or bacteria. On the land, too, the same phenomenon is observed in creatures like fungi and fireflies.

In most organisms, this chemical reaction requires two unique chemicals called luciferin and either luciferase or photoprotein. Luciferin is the compound that actually produces light. In the case of dinoflagellates, bluish-green planktons, the glowing sparkle is produced by luciferin building up on its own in their bodies.

Watching this enchanting, romantic dance of glowing jewellery, viewers couldn’t help but fantasize that they, too, wanted to play. “So magical, so mysterious, I also want to play,” exclaimed @treehiba on one of Coyne’s videos on X. Feeling protective, @kalpenne said, “You can think something is beautiful and leave it alone.” The flaming blue spell that brought the ocean waters to life also caused some people to feel jealous of the “bio boy,” who actually got the opportunity to relish this nighttime adventure. Everything alive carries a light within it. But you won’t see it unless you give it a touch.

You can follow Patrick Coyne (@patrickc_la) on Instagram to watch more videos of his adventures exploring this bioluminescence. 

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