Tasmanian beaches turn a glowing shade of blue

Kelsey Weekman

A beach in Tasmania is currently glowing, but don't worry -- it's supposed to be like that.

Preservation Bay turned a bright shade of blue over the weekend, and Instagram was not disappointed.

See photos of the beach:

The glow comes from a bloom of bioluminescent algae, according to Mashable.

"It was very interesting watching this iridescent aquamarine color light up the waves as they crashed," photographer Brett Chatwin told The Advocate.

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A post shared by Sally Todd (@toddsally) on Mar 14, 2017 at 12:21am PDT

The algae are single-cell organisms called dinoflagellates (or "sea sparkle") which light up when threatened.

According to National Geographic, bioluminescence is both a defense against predators and an aid to help hunters seek their prey.

See other similar phenomenon:

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