By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-12 11:37:02 | Updated at 2025-03-12 16:01:51
4 hours ago
A popular beach was coloured blood red as heavy rains fell on the mineral-rich coastline in Iran.
Footage circulating online showed how the downpour lit up the Silver and Red Beach on Hormuz Island as tourists gathered to marvel at its colour.
Floodwater running off the rocks at the tourist attraction created spectacular waterfalls, leaving an eerie trail of red up to the shoreline.
Tour guide hormoz_omid shared the video to Instagram to nearly one million likes and stunned reactions.
The secret 'rainbow island' in the Strait of Hormuz remains largely undisturbed, sparsely inhabited and miles from the Iranian mainland.
The phenomenon is a year-round attraction caused by the high iron oxide content in the volcanic soil.
Those minerals then mix with the sea water to give the shore itself a unique reddish glow.
A travel guide shared the video before it went viral online
Waterfalls reddened by the rich iron-oxide content of the soil run down to the beach
Hormuz Island's volcanic soil has a red colour and is, apparently, edible
The rich 'gelack' soil has value for industrial purposes, used in dyeing, cosmetics, glass and ceramics.
But it also plays a role in the local cuisine, used as a spice in sauces and jams, according to a local tourist board.
'Walking along the shore you will encounter parts where sand glitters with metal compounds, especially mesmerising at sunset or sunrise,' the Iran Tourism and Touring Organisation insists.
'The soil color around you keeps changing as you walk or ride and you can visit a unique red edible soil and other 70 colorful minerals in Hormuz Island.'
Video shared last year wrongly claimed that the beaches had been 'turned' red due to the 'severe weather'.
But tourists can experience the rare phenomenon any time of year, in any weather.
'I love this beautiful country. Let's be diligent in cleaning and maintaining it,' wrote Instagram user shiva_km22.
elheshababi added: 'The power of God .... How beautiful and amazing.'
Atermis.travell said: 'I wish I could be present at this moment, but my soul is definitely there.'
The soil can mix with the seawater and give the impression the water is red
The soil finds use in industry and the local cuisine, used as a spice in some dishes
Closer to home, the tiny resort town of Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca in Spain hosts a pink lake caused by an unusual type of bacteria that thrive in the salt.
The halobacteria and an algae called Dunaliella salina both help create the stunning pinkish hues, visible during the warmer months.
In summer, the heat makes the bacteria more active, making it easier to see the effect.
Creatures in the salt lakes take on a pink colour by feeding on the bacteria and algae, and flamingos develop colour on their feathers, a local travel site explains.
Swimming in the lake is banned as the waters are home to many rare organisms.
Like the Dead Sea, the salinity of the lake would likely make swimmers float.
Instagram user hormoz_omid shared the video of 'heavy rain today at the Red Beach' on February 8.
The pink salt lakes in the town of Torrevieja, near Alicante, on February 26, 2025
The lakes are turned pink by algae and bacteria in the salty waters
Even closer to home, Britons may be fortunate enough to experience the rare phenomenon of 'glowing' shores caused by bioluminescent plankton.
Stunning images shared last May showed Sheerness Beach in Kent lit up in a vivid electric blue colour, caused by the small creatures emitting light when disturbed by the motion of the sea.
Displays from bioluminescent plankton is rarely seen in the UK, with it mainly being seen in warmer climates such as the Maldives and Mexico.
But every now and then, bioluminescent plankton can be spotted glittering through the waters in North Wales.
A shoreline in the port town of Puerto Escondido in Mexico glows blue from plankton
A surfer rides a wave as bioluminescent plankton lights up the surf around him at Newport Beach, April 30, 2020
Bioluminescence is the production or emission of light by a living creature which can cause an incredible glow from the sea.
The phenomenon is a result of a chemical reaction that occurs when chemical energy is converted to light energy. For this to happen the creature must carry a molecule called luciferin.
When luciferin reacts with oxygen it creates light energy which we perceive as a glow.
Beachgoers in Mexico were lucky to see a clearer example of the phenomenon in 2020, when the Puerto Marqués shore in Acapulco lit up for the first time in 60 years.
