Bioluminescent Bay at Vieques Island
Editor Pick
Bio Bay -- Amazing Wonder of Nature
We've been a lot of places, and the bioluminescent bay of Vieques is truly one of the most magically unique places we've seen. Briefly, the bay is home to microscopic dinoflagellates who emit light when they are disturbed. Our trip happened to fall during the new moon, so we had to experience this, and it was our primary reason for coming to Vieques. The subtle effect is washed out by the light of a full moon, so many of the tour operators don't even make the trip during that time of the month.
Our kayak tour was with Blue Caribe Kayaks, located right on the main street of Esperanza, not with Island Adventures. Island Adventures does the tour aboard a big electric, non-polluting pontoon boat. We wanted the more personal feel of the kayak tour. Our trip, which was pretty typical, began at the store-front of the Blue Caribe in Esperanza. You board a van for the short ride out to the bay, and even before the van stops to unload you and the kayaks you start to feel excited. It is amazingly dark! Eventually things get sorted out, you pick up your paddle and grab a kayak and the adventure really begins.
The general plan of the evening is to paddle individual sea kayaks out to the middle of the bay, then you can jump in the water and swim with the light-emitting creatures.
We had barely started paddling alongside the mangroves lining the bay when I noticed the faint glow in the water everytime I moved the paddle or my hand through the water. And it just gets better from there. As we rowed out to the middle, every stroke stimulates a new bunch of creatures to light up briefly.
Once you reach the middle, the guides help you tie up the kayaks into a central bunch, and you can jump into the water and swim with the lights. It is amazing to watch the individual points of light slide off your hand or leg. Of course you have to do the standard snow-angel move, waving your arms and legs in the water to be surrounded by a angel-shaped halo of tiny lights. And for fun, you can also dribble the tiny lights out of your mouth.
After a good long swim, it was back into the kayaks for the trip back to shore. We were a little chilled by the breeze after being in the water, but it was bearable since it was a nice night. We weren't used to kayaking, so it was a little uncomfortable doing all the paddling and sitting in the kayak, but the experience was totally worth the discomfort. The guides do a nice job and nobody got lost or left behind in the dark.
I regret that I don't have any personal photos from this experience, but I don't have a water-proof camera. No guides are left with the vans, so you only bring your dry clothes along with you, and anything you carry in the kayak that you expect to get wet.
There are other bio bays, including on mainland Puerto Rico, but this one is supposed to be the best and brightest. It was an astounding experience.
From journal Vieques: Quiet Island Get-a-way with Marvels of Nature
My Amazing Experience at the Bio Bay
- July 17, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
jiggs1219 from New York, New York
I highly recommend this excursion to the Vieques island, it's one of those experiences which words or pictures cannot describe. East wind in conjunction with Island Adventures let you take a trip to Vieques without having to spend a night there. The east wind boat leaves at 5:30pm and brings you back to mainland Puerto Rico at 11pm. The price for this tour includes the back and forth boat trip to Vieques, dinner at a restaurant and the shuttle bus tour to the bio bay where you go on another boat. This price is well worth the $117 that I paid and would do it again.
Visit the www.biobay.com site to learn and understand behind this magic that takes place here. You need to research the moon cycle as a full moon means you wont get to enjoy this experience since these planktons which glow require darkness. There is a calendar for this on that same website which you can look up and plan ahead of time. On a clear, moonless night not only will you see the beauty in the lake but in the sky as well since you can see almost all the stars and planets. Its a truly amazing experience and the tour guides explain every thing to you, including where all the stars are and where the milky galaxy is. They explain to you what makes these planktons special and provide you with floating belts which let you swim in the water.
The swimming experience is truly magical, the water is warm and swimming with these microscopic orgasims is a lot of fun since you can do tricks and even see fish swim which is indicated by the surrounding glowing planktons. It can be a little scary when you are first entering the water since its dark and very calm but once you are in, you would not want to get out. I highly recommend every one to come visit this bay and you will not be disappointed.
From journal Puerto Rico Getaway!
Editor Pick
Bioluminescent Bay at Vieques Island
- January 16, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
ripplefan2 from Queens, New York
After being on Vieques for a couple of days, I kept hearing about this Bio Bay and how it was a must do. The real name is the Bioluminescent Bay, but is referred to by all as the Bio Bay and is a huge tourist hotspot. My brother and sister-in-law went on a tour with kayaks through the bay, but the rest of us went on the Island Adventures tour (http://www.biobay.com/).
We had to drive up through Isabelle Segunda to the far part of town to get to this office. When we entered, we were all told to just hang out in this painted room with pictures of small creatures and an artistic depiction of the bay we were heading out to. Then we were told that we could head into the office and pay our $30 per person fee for the tour and then sat back down in this Bob Ross painting like room. Then Ricky, our tour driver and Vieques history teacher came out and explained the going ons in the Bio Bay.
Ricky proceeded go through the basics of the Bio Bay and why the water lights up when you swim in it. It turns out that there are thousands, if not millions of these small asexual organisms living in the water called dinoflagellates. According to the Island Adventures website and Ricky “This unique bay contains up to 720,000 single-celled bioluminescent dinoflagellates per gallon of water. These half-plant, half-animal organisms emit a flash of bluish light when agitated at night. The high concentration of these creatures (Pyrodimium bahamense) can create enough light to read a book from.” It was really interesting. When Ricky was done with his basic info session, we all loaded onto a school bus and headed off for the bay. On our way however, Ricky regaled us in stories of the island (like how Media Luna beach got to be the way it is and how Lord of the Flies was filmed there) and brought us throw the bumpy roads towards the Bio Bay.
When we got to the beach, we were greeted by three guys who had a boat ready and awaiting us. We immediately piled onto this long, rectangular shaped boat and headed off into the darkness. Our three guides went through more history about the bay, explaining how the dinoflagellates come in through the reef and get stuck in the bay. Then they showed us the Mangrove trees which grow over open water, some one hundred yards from the land. These trees suck up water, filter out the salt into the leaves, keep the water for the roots and deposit the salty leaves back in to the water, resalinating the water. The dinoflagellates love the high salt concentrations and therefore have no need to really leave the bay. They then went through a long and very interesting Astrology lesion, showing everyone their respective signs in the cosmos. Then they pointed out Saturn rising and Mars shining brightly above us. I also learned that the North Star is not the brightest star in the sky and that that has been a long time common misconception.
Then the boat stopped and they asked who wanted to jump in the water. I noticed that no one jumped at the idea of heading into these darkened waters, so I volunteered to head in. They equipped me with a floating device and jumped in. The water was nice and immediately, the abyss below lit up as if the Sun itself was shining out from around me. It really was amazing. They tell you though not to swim in only one place, but to move around because the dinoflagellates can only light up about 6 or so times before dying out, so I was swimming left and right and everywhere in between. Even lifting your hands up and allowing the water to fall and seeing star like lights twinkle down was amazing. It was so cool and worth every penny. The guides also, with a little financial persuasion, will swim down to the depths of the abyss and grab the muddy muck. This muck is full of nutrients and supposed to be great for the face. A couple of people paid these guys and one guide headed down and collected some for them. To me, it smelled like crap, but they loved it. Different strokes for different folks.
So, when in Vieques, please make it point to stop by Island Adventures to go check out the Bio Bay. I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed. Enjoy!
From journal Basic Vieques
Editor Pick
Swimming in Bio Bay
Visiting the Bio Bay was a must-see for our family. We chose the very popular Island Adventure, which would take us on our tour of the Bio Bay. The friendly, knowledgeable staff gave us a thorough overview of what exactly the Bio Bay is and why it really is such a natural phenomenon. Feeling like we were already in a science class, we all loaded on the school bus and off we went. A very bumpy 20-minute ride later, we boarded the pontoon boat in the bay. As the boat started moving farther into the bay, the water around us started to literally light up! My husband was sure it was a light on the boat, but there were no lights to be found, except in the water. As the fish started darting back and forth, it looked as though there were hundreds of shooting stars right before our eyes! Finally, we came to a stop, and it was our time to swim in the water. The staff supplied everyone with buoy belts to keep us afloat, and one by one we dove in. I felt like I was swimming in fairy dust. One of my favorite vacation moments was when my 9-year-old son said, "This is the coolest thing I have ever done in my life!" That made the whole trip worthwhile. Honestly, I would have paid double the $25 per person to experience this.
My 13-year-old was a little more cautious and had decided not to enter the water, but after much coaxing and coercing, she reluctantly came in and started to swim about . She had a wonderful time, until she was stung by a jellyfish just 5 minutes after she was in the water. Needless to say, that ended the trip rather abruptly and everyone got back aboard the boat.
Overall, it was an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Tips:
*Tours do not run when there is a full moon due to low visibility. Check the moon phase to plan your visit.
*Island Adventures was very helpful, and the staff was great when my daughter was stung by the jellyfish. Do not go on a tour that operates on a gas-powered boat, as it harms the ecosystem of the bay.
*If you choose to swim in the bay, you must use a deet-free bug repellent.
*This is a hands-on experience. Bring a towel, wear old clothes, and don’t worry about your hair.
*Do be prepared for natural dangers. A couple we met along the way had warned us about the jellyfish. A girl on their trip was stung just the night before. I knew this, but I couldn’t resist once I saw it. I was sorry that it happened to my daughter instead of me, but this is also part of nature. This may also be due to the time of year we visited.
From journal Vieques . . . worth the trip to swim in fairy dust
Bio Bay at Island Adventures
This was an AWESOME experience. Island Adventures offers boat rides out to the bay, under the beautiful, clear, starlit night. Once there you can jump in and enjoy the INCREDIBLE glowing microorganisms. We felt like a kid doing snow angels, water falling out of our mouths---with every motion, tiny diamond-like drops glowed with yellow light. Remember to snap your bathing suit once you're out to the water---the droplets will fall like rain.
From journal Gorgeous Puerto Rico