Moonrise over Bioluminescence

On 20 December 2024, I went crayfishing with my dad at sunrise off Adventure Bay, Bruny Island. We glided across a glassy sea glowing orange with bioluminescence, the surface alive beneath us. The smell was strong and unmistakable as we pulled the cray pots in. That was it. The rest of the day was quietly, irrevocably planned around bioluminescence.

It was the first time I was ever going to witness bioluminescence in Tasmania. I charged the camera and waited for nightfall. And then, as if on cue, the waves began to glow blue. Soon after, the moon rose through the clouds, casting an otherworldly light across a shoreline transformed into a bioluminescent playground.

It felt like an energetic piano, every step igniting a sparkle beneath my feet. I played in this wonder until 3 am on the balmiest Tasmanian night I can remember. I had the entire beach to myself. I felt safe, held, and utterly in awe of the natural world. I couldn’t bring myself to leave until my body finally whispered that it was time.