Phosphorescence

Hidden amidst the vertiginous cliffs on the north coast of the Macaronesian island of Madeira lies the beach at Ribeira da Janela. The beach is special because it contains huge, rounded black boulders and several iconic sea-stacks, known as the “Ilheus da Ribeira” or the “River Islands”. These ilheus protrude like monsters surfacing from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. The otherworldly vista is made yet stranger by the luminous green algae (not technically phosphorescent, but rather photosynthetic, chlorophyta) and the unexpected beam of violet light from the setting sun; Madeira is an island of colourful contrasts.