Video: The Beauty And Science Of Bioluminescent Waves

by Sean McLachlan on


There’s nothing as bewitching as seeing bioluminescent waves crashing onto a night shore. I first saw these as a kid and the memory has always stuck with me. The stars above, the glimmering lights of distant freighters far out to sea and the weird blue surf rushing at me. It’s one of the most vivid memories of my childhood.

How couldn’t it be? This glowing surf is beautiful and mysterious. Well, it’s mysterious if you aren’t a marine biologist. Check out this video to learn just how waves can glow in the dark. It will take some of the mystery out of it, but none of the beauty. Also check out this amazing photo of bioluminescent waves in the Maldives that glowed brighter than the Milky Way.

If you want to learn more, the American Museum of Natural History is having an exhibition titled “Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence,” running until January 6, 2013.

Photo of the Day – Surfing in Barbados

by Jeremy Kressmann on

The movements and rhythm of surfing have their own unique poetry. The energetic ebb and flow of the waves merges with the acrobatic twists and cuts of the rider as he makes his way across the water’s surface. Today’s photo, by Flickr user Enjoy Patrick Responsibly on the Caribbean island of Barbados, is full of that energy. I love how the photo catches the surfer frozen at the crest of the wave, a spray of foam erupting in his wake.

Taken any great photos during your travels? Why not share them with us by adding them to the Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

Photo of the Day (3.12.09)

by Kent Wien on

Today’s photo of the day comes from Willy Volk at Lake Worth, Florida. So often when I’m browsing through Flickr, I’ll see a picture like this and exclaim, “why didn’t I think of this?!”

Clicking on the metadata to Willy’s picture shows he used the aperture priority mode (as explained by Karen Walrond) which gave him a shutter speed of 1/8th of a second. Just the right amount of time to blur the wave, making it look like it’s floating above the sand. He took another picture with a faster shutter speed here so you can see the difference.

As for the bottom right corner… Willy, is that your foot?

Nice shot! Karen also used this picture as an example of why you just might want to shoot some blurred pics.

Are you a Flickr user who’d like to share a travel related picture or two for our consideration? Submit it to Gadling’s Flickr group right now! We just might use it for our Photo of the Day!