A night in the Maldives without leaving the Costa del Sol

The Maldives, Puerto Rico, Australia, and Cambodia are some of the destinations where you can find bioluminescent beaches where the sea water lights up at night. Benalmádena has now been added to this list of idyllic places, where you can now visit the first interactive bioluminescent beach in Spain.

Contact with the phytoplankton in the water emit light, known as bioluminescence. This algae is only abundant in certain types of water, and moves with the current. In Spain, there have been cases of bioluminescent beaches in Galicia and Cadiz, but it is not common. The phenomenon has never been recorded on Malaga beaches.

Under the name 'Night at sea', inside the Sea Life Benalmádena, you can visit a display room to enjoy the experience. The night sky, the sound of the waves and the bright lights that illuminate the floor as you walk, envelop the space, which is completed with the presence of striking marine species. Among them, are corals, with fluorescent colours, and pineapple fish, which have bacteria in their mouths that glow.

The aquarium is home to more than 2,500 marine creatures of around 300 different species. All of them are on display, and in some cases you can even interact with them. Sea Life said: "We are not just a place where you can learn about animals, we also teach you how to take care of them and protect the habitats where they live in freedom".