Bioluminescent Plankton in Maldives 2025

At the first sight, the neon blue balls washing up the shores might be confused with some alien form of life which is trying to invade the Maldives at night. Someone might think there was a flood in the glowworm caves in New Zealand and now the worms are freely floating the waves. In reality, these "diodes" are glowing plankton. The bright blue light is the result of a natural chemical reaction which occurs when plankton is disturbed with oxygen. Plankton is abundant in the Indian ocean and particularly around the islands in the period between mid-summer and winter.

One of the most popular places to observe such a fantastic spectacle is Vaadloo island found in the Raa Atoll, and the high season is between June and October. All you need to do is simply to stir up the water with your feet, and if plankton is there, it will immediately splash with gorgeous blue lights. However, you will rarely see such a picture close to the beach, it's much more likely to happen when cruising offshore - breaking waves provided by a floating ship will light up any tiny organisms.