Does the ‘Green Flash’ Actually Exist? Here’s Video Proof

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Jan 7, 2026 12:00 PM ET

Growing up near the ocean in Southern California, it was somewhat of a family tradition to watch the sunset on every occasion we could, and attempt to get a glimpse of the elusive “green flash.” Sometimes we succeeded, sometimes not.

But countless times, we saw it. The fleeting final moments of the sun setting over the Pacific, casting for a brief moment a jade flicker, before sinking beneath the sea.

Later in life, when I was with friends or girlfriends or mere acquaintances watching the sunset, and suggested we keep an eye out for the flash, I was stunned when many of them called the phenomenon a myth. I had seen it, myself, on many occasions. And yet, even when the conditions were right, and the sun did, in fact, turn green for a few seconds, they dismissed it. Why? I cannot say. So, here’s proof for all the non-believers:

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The footage comes from Jacob Moss, a surf filmer based on the North Shore of Oahu. And it shows the sun slowly creeping towards the horizon, then changing its hue, before disappearing below the Pacific Ocean. That’s some solid evidence, as far as I’m concerned.

Personally, I have an armchair scientific grasp on what makes a green flash occur. It’s not like the explosive spark, as seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies; it’s more subtle. But I’m no expert. So, let’s let the folks at the Farmer’s Almanac explain:

“The Earth’s atmosphere acts like a prism, separating sunlight into different colors. A green flash is a result of observing rays through an increasingly thicker atmosphere. As the Sun rises or dips below the horizon, the light bends and is dispersed into the atmosphere. Different colors bend in different amounts depending on their wavelengths. Colors with shorter wavelengths, such as blue, green, and violet, reflect more strongly than colors with longer wavelengths, such as red, orange, and yellow.”

Above, the diagram from EarthSky helps demonstrate how the green flash – which is a mirage, mind you – actually occurs, and becomes visible to the human eye.

Take that flat-earthers.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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