Sapphires in the Sea

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the beach. There is something inherently so magical and mysterious about it, from the way the waves seem to be dancing as they clash against the sand to how the water stretches on endlessly for miles and miles in the distance. The way the sun appears and reappears over the water, with its reflection colouring the water different shades of orange and yellow. So, when I had the opportunity to go to college at a place that had a private beach, I jumped at it. Like every other first-year student, I was fascinated by the beach. I visited the beach very often. I explored the beach. My fascination lasted for longer than the customary month.

It was around mid-October, nearly two years ago, that I first saw it.

I was walking along the beach road, from the SBI gate to Red Rock with some friends. It was around eight in the night. I had successfully convinced them that the waves would look beautiful with the moonlight shining on it and that we should take that road instead of the highway. We exited the narrow lane onto the beach road and the sight that greeted us is one that will be etched in my memory forever. I was spellbound. The water was shining, but this wasn’t because of the moonlight. There seemed to be a strange, almost ethereal blue glow to the water like someone had lit an electric blue fire underwater and had forgotten to extinguish it, and now it was fated to burn for eternity. As the waves crashed against the sand, the blue water seemed to erupt into tiny crystals, giving off the impression that someone had carelessly thrown sapphires all over the sand.

“Bioluminescence,” I muttered under my breath.

Before I continue with my awestruck mini-rant, here is a small biology lesson. Chemiluminescence is a phenomenon where light is released as the by-product of a chemical reaction. Bioluminescence is a type of Chemiluminescence, except in case of the former, the chemical reaction is taking place inside the body of a living organism. The enzyme involved in the chemical reaction is called luciferin or luciferase. Bioluminescence is an integral survival mechanism, used by organisms to lure prey, escape predators and to attract mates. Bioluminescence may not just be in the ocean; it can be any living organism that emits its own light. In fact, fireflies are a ‘shining’ example of Bioluminescence.

The discovery of Bioluminescence goes back to 500 BC, where the ancient Greeks made references to the ‘phosphorescent sea’ in their writings. In the fifteenth century, the phenomenon of the ‘burning sea’ became a well – known topic of conversation. Bioluminescence in the ocean commonly occurs due to a type of dinoflagellate plankton called Noctiluca scintillans. This organism forms thick blooms over oceanic waters and emits a bright blue light when predators are approaching, to attract larger predators that prey on smaller predators. The plankton blooms may look appealing to the eye, but they form reddish scum over the water during the day and this is harmful to the fish.

I went back to the beach at night many times that semester, to marvel at the blue waves. I’d sit on the sand and stare awe-struck at the waves and how they glittered. There were never any sounds or disturbances. It was a peaceful existence – Nature’s wonder and me, a wonderstruck kid.

The dinoflagellates are back now, and they have brought their Bioluminescence back with them. I went back to the beach yesterday, expecting to see the shining sapphire waves that had struck a chord in me. I waited for almost an hour fervently staring into the distance, anticipating the arrival of the surge of sparkling water. It never came. All I saw was a few faint blue waves in the distance and an almost indistinct shine on the sand.

As I walked back, disappointed, I began to ponder about the transient nature of, literally, everything. So much has changed since that first day I sat on the sand in admiration, and this time I am not referring to the waves in the ocean, I’m referring to life. I think I learnt something important today – to cherish every little memory you have, to lock it up in your brain and re-live it in your dreams. Moments in life are like the waves of the ocean – they rise from the ocean calmly but crash against the shore with an intense ferocity. Similarly, instances in life start out as something insignificant, but as they progress they leave a striking impact and disappear as quickly as the waves that wash away from the shore. I will probably never see something like what I saw that night at the beach, but every day is a new day filled with beautiful experiences, and all I have to do is live each and every moment, record it in my brain and smile every time I replay it as I remember how I felt at that moment, because it’s never coming back and that, is okay.

– Sitara Kumbale