Sea Sparkle

May 26, 2013

Courtesy of the Internet

Last week, folks along the coast here were treated to four or five nights of ocean fireworks.

There was a blooming of bioluminescent algae technically known as “Noctiluca scintillans”, which according to that Oceana link:

Is “also known as sea sparkle, Noctiluca scintillans is a large dinoflagellate that lives near the surface of the ocean, where it feeds on other planktonic organisms”.

Wikipedia says this:

“High concentrations of their plankton food source that likely result from environmental conditions such as well-mixed nutrient-rich waters and seasonal circulation factors are implicated in population blooms of N. scintillans, known as “red tides”.

Swimmers may report being illuminated by a ghostly glow-in-the-dark plankton - a floating bloom of algae which fires up into a luminescent sparkle when disturbed. This gives Noctiluca scintillans the popular names "Sea Ghost" or "Fire of Sea".

Runoff from agricultural pollution may contribute to the severity of these blooms. However this is not required to cause explosive growth of Noctiluca scintillans.

Not all blooms associated with N. scintillans are red”.
 

 I lived on the coast of Southern California (Dana Point) for  15+ years, and I’m familiar with the red tides, but the phosphorescent algae that nightly bloomed here last week was a bright neon blue and apparently MAGICAL!

In particular, those who got in to swim while it was happening said it was a transcendent experience.

 

Courtesy of the Internet

 




There were numerous sightings on the Montanita and Olón beaches, including one spectacular night show witnessed by friends at T.J.’s  “Tres Palmas” bar (also see their Facebook page “Montanita Brewing Company” for more pictures) on the Montanita Point.  Some of them got great pictures, and I hope they don’t mind if I include them here. 

Courtesy of T.J. Bennett - Taken from Tres Palmas

I, unfortunately, did not get to see this marvel – but not for lack of trying. It was around the second or third night after it started that I became aware of it, and then I spent the next three nights either at Tres Palmas on the point, or perched atop one of the Olón lifeguard stands watching for it, but had no luck.



Courtesy of Tito Verdaguer - Montanita



I was told the luminescence didn’t occur with every breaking wave, so one needed to kind of watch carefully.  Maybe, maybe I saw a couple of weaker displays, but my eyes could have been playing tricks on me too.

On another note, I received this comment on my last post that I want to respond to here, rather than in the comment section:

Dear Lee,
As I read your post I wondered if my heart would ever accept the long distance between myself and my children and me for creating it. How do I keep my heart from breaking at birthdays and holidays and all the special little moments missed?
I realize children have their own lives, and don't miss us like we miss them, but that really doesn't help. How do you do it Lee? I would really like some help on how to harness the desire to be with my children and still be adventurous and live my own life.
Words of wisdom please.
Anonymous


Dear Anonymous,
Your questions provoked such a deep emotional response within me.
So much so, that I am going to answer your question here rather than in the comment section.
Without a doubt, being so far from loved ones is one of the most difficult aspects of being an expat.
As you said, it’s not just the birthdays and holidays, but all the small special moments (i.e., my youngest granddaughter’s first steps/first words; my oldest granddaughter’s first school dance; girls’ night slumber parties with my daughters pigging out on junk food and watching chick flicks).
It is being absent at times when your grown children may actually really need you to be there (despite having their own lives) and only being able to do so vicariously through Skype and Facebook and email…and living with the guilt, knowing you made the choice to move so far away from them for this “later-in-life” adventure, and at times, feeling very selfish about the decision.

On the other hand, there is also the hope that our kids and grandchildren are inspired to be “world citizens”, and see by example that it is never too late in life to take chances, to live their dreams, and to plunge into new challenges.

And with one daughter living in England for the last 10 years, another now in Germany, and my oldest in Southern California (and most of the rest of my family in Kansas), we’ve been a “far-flung” family for some time, so our relocation to South America has perhaps been an “easier” adjustment for us to make than others have had, or will experience.

 
How do I do it?
I cry.  I’ve had times in the last 3 years, since we moved to Ecuador permanently, when all I can do is weep inconsolably because I miss my family, and all that was familiar.
And I write.  That helps me a lot, even if most of it doesn’t see the light of day on this blog.

The short answer....I have no words of wisdom to offer.
You learn to live with your heart breaking at times,
Leigh
 

Courtesy of the Internet

“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself….
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable”.

Kahlil Gibran

 

 

The Olón lifeguard stand where I perched for
a couple of nights.
Picture of this gentleman sitting on that
same stand at sunset
taken a couple months ago