Taking place at a time when a pandemic is happening, this is a very positive thing that has happened for people to enjoy. Certain beaches are closed or have restrictions so as many people are looking for places to see these magnificent blue waves, here are some tips.

The bioluminescent waves have been happening since first being noticed by Royce Hutain on April 15th, 2020 and since then, there have been some nights that are brighter than others. While I am nowhere near an expert on this subject, what I have noticed is that on days where it's cloudy/foggy, the blue waves are not as bright at night, that's because the dinoflagellates need sunlight to charge during the day. This type of phytoplankton is causing a red tide which you may notice during daylight which is a good sign that there will be glowing waves at night. While there is no way to track the red tide, you can go to the beach and observe the red tide or go at night to check, there is no other way to find out where the blue waves will be. It is happening from San Diego up to Malibu but is showing up at certain beaches more than others. In LA County while the beaches are closed, you will need to watch from viewpoints that overlook the beaches like along Redondo Beach or from the road along Malibu/Santa Monica area. In Orange County, Newport Pier to The Wedge seems to be good along with San Clemente Pier area. I've also noticed in along Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach as well. The blue waves don't really show until at least 8:30pm which is about 30 minutes after sunset, it has to be completely dark for these waves to glow.

I have personally received several thousand messages asking exactly where is the best spot, exactly what is the best time, exactly where to park, and exactly how to photograph it. While I have no problem helping people with these things, I cannot keep up with it so this article will hopefully help people have the best odds. There really is no better spot as it varies from night to night but if you don't see it real good at one spot, drive up or down the coast a bit and try another spot. Good luck!