Sparks Above and Below: One Surreal, Dreamlike Oregon Coast Eve

Published 08/30/25 at 6:55 a.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

On one night in early August, quite a few years ago, Oregon's northern coast became a dreamlike, surreal-scape, more like an alien world than our familiar shores. Nothing could be have been more entrancing and extraordinary. Right time. Right place. And more. (Above: the hidden spot in southern Cannon Beach where this happened)

Things that glow on the sand, little fires in the sky and an unbelievably different kind of weather vibe: it all came together on one tract of beach to create something absolutely unforgettable.

Yet it's something you could experience as well. You just have to be willing to give a chance. You have to be willing to try venturing out here at night, which many are dismissive of right off the bat.

Let's put it this way: it was a summer awhile back, one that was unusually warm. And it was way back when I was just discovering this glowing sand phenomenon.

Earlier in the day I'd been chatting with friends in Wheeler, and they told me Nehalem Bay had been doing that "glowing thing" recently. This meant that, apparently unbeknownst to me, we had been hit with the right conditions for glowing phytoplankton to appear on the beaches and in the bay waters in great abundance.

Sights above Manzanita

Whoa.... I flipped out over this possibility.

I zipped northward with great anticipation, waiting for night to fall completely. By the time I reached Cannon Beach, it was finally dark. I pulled into a neighborhood on the southern end I wasn't familiar with, walked onto the nearly pitch black beach, and discovered a sizable basalt structure looming there in the dark, looking like a mini version of famed Haystack Rock. Not being well acquainted with this beach (at the time) and this rocky behemoth, I was a little unnerved - even a tiny bit spooked - in the dark, but felt compelled to walk towards it. Good thing.

There was a pool of water around it, and a much larger patch of wet sand surrounding it. This patch was where I saw the glowing phytoplankton again: this time much clearer, brighter than the first time I'd seen it a decade before. And many more of them. They erupted like sparks - or like tiny galaxies bursting into a brief existence - from beneath my feet, causing me to shriek in a childlike glee. I couldn't contain myself.

Glowing phytoplankton near Gold Beach caught by Solution 7 Media

To add to the wild and surreal beauty of this night, there was a warm wind blowing from the south - as if I was in California. This enveloping breeze was about ten degrees warmer, completely changing the feel of the place. It completely enveloped me and took me by surprise. I had never experienced that here before.

Then I noticed sparks of light in the night sky as well. I had forgotten: this was the height of August's Perseid meteor showers (something I'd written about in this publication many times before). Streaks of light flashed briefly and faintly in some spots, at times in great numbers in a short time, almost staccato fashion. But mostly, a giant red fireball would occasionally rip through the black, leaving a brief trail, looking a little like someone had shot a flare.

Thanks to the clearer skies of summer, these meteor showers appear distinctly and vibrantly.

It immediately hit me: sparks above and below. Or like that literary phrase: on Earth as it is in Heaven.

This was indeed like an alien world. A warm wind wafting up the beach from the south, flowing around this weird, unfamiliar, black, basalt structure at the tide line; then those sparks coming from both the sand and the sky. Forget Lewis & Clark and their end of the trail. I was Spock or Kirk, and I felt like I'd gone where no man had gone before just by visiting Cannon Beach on this night.

The glow is created by tiny phytoplankton called dinoflagellates, which are bioluminescent. You can see how and why they do this here. Bioluminescent Phytoplankton: What Makes Glowing Sand On Oregon Coast, Washington

Over the years of running Oregon Coast Beach Connection, I've encountered it a lot. In fact, I almost never drive home during the day and only at night, just so I can check for it before I leave. Yet I've never encountered it with these other two aspects in place.

Someone else had the amazing luck to photograph it in Cannon Beach recently with both the meteors and the glow (but sans the ethereal warm wind was happening).

To this day, finding all three is still my Holy Grail.

Oregon Coast Hotels in this area - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

Lincoln City Openings for Sept (Including Holiday) Going for Less Than Much o...
One has openings on Labor Day Weekend - Sept normally summer prices. Lincoln City hotel reviews, availability

Getting Oregon Coast Stays on the 'Lowdown' - Where Lincoln City Cut Rates
Excellent Lincoln City specials abound. Lincoln City hotel reviews. Inn at Wecoma, Surfland, Coho Lodge

Retro Beach Rental in Newport a Tiny, Cozy Oregon Coast Gem
A little vacation rental called View House Cottage. Hotel reviews, Newport lodging, Newport hotel reviews, Lincoln City hotel reviews, Newport vacation rentals

An Oregon Coast Legend Reopens: Hotel Sylvia in Newport's Nye Beach in a New ...
Many author rooms remain, now include book genre themes. Newport hotel reviews. Coffee shop, breakfast, restaurant, eat

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles)

Yachats Mushroom Treasure Hunt Back for Winter: Little Glass Shroomies on Oregon Coast
26 Oct 2026 at 9:49pm
Now through February: find the discs that get you the artsy pieces

Tuesday is Shift to Fall for Oregon / Washington; Second Summer on Coastlines
20 Sep 2026 at 7:33pm
Some curious astronomy and meteorology about the region. Weather, science, Seattle, Portland, Eugene, Salem

BREAKING: Entire Oregon Coast Razor Clamming Shut Down
2 Oct 2026 at 6:58pm
Domoic acid is again the villain. Clamming unsafe until tests prove OK. Marine sciences, safety. Port Orford, Bandon, Lincoln City, Seaside, Astoria, Depoe Bay, Coos Bay, Charleston, Brookings, Gold Beach, Reedsport, Florence, Yachats, Waldport, Newport, Pacific City, Oceanside, Garibaldi, Tillamook, Cape Meares, Rockaway Beach, Wheeler, Manzanita, Cannon Beach

An Oregon Coast Landmark Needs Your Help: Oceanside Tunnel Work Party
20 Sep 2026 at 6:46am
Friday, October 2, help clean up the Oceanside tunnel. Oceanside events, Tillamook events, Pacific City events

Fatal Wreck and Hoax Mariner Message Investigated on S. Oregon Coast
7 Oct 2026 at 9:15am
Coos County: hoax emergency message; fatal crash on Highway 540. Rescue, crime, traffic

Video: US Coast Guard Rescues Man from Hammond Jetty / N. Oregon Coast
28 Sep 2026 at 8:37am
Man was pinned under a rock at the Astoria-area jetty

South Oregon Coast Wilderness: Tseriadun State Scenic Rec Site, Paradise Point, Agate Beach
24 Sep 2026 at 7:21am
Four miles of crazy finds, yet another Agate Beach, an angry river and Cape Blanco. Port Orford, Curry County

This Weekend's Chonky, Orange-Tinged Harvest Moon Above Oregon, Washington and Coast
25 Sep 2026 at 9:55pm
Large moon - but there's a catch - and some meteor showers. Weather, Astronomy

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright © Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted