Bioluminescent Fun

I realize we’re home and back in the swing of things, but I wanted to reflect on one of the highlights of our trip, and that was kayaking the bioluminescent bay in Vieques. What was really cool about it was that they realize what a jewel they have, and go to great lengths to preserve it. Chalk it up to the National Park Service.

The bay is located on the north side of the island (I think), not too far from us, though the island is small and everything is close by. We were debating whether or not to do the actual tour, which is not cheap, but the kids were excited, and it’s a pretty darn cool thing. The bay contains plankton that glows when agitated, i.e., it is bioluminescent. The actual biology behind it is identical to science that we use in the lab with luciferase, the chemical reaction that makes fireflies glow.

The guy who actually owns and runs the tour lived right next door to the house we were renting, so we just walked over and put our names on the list. Easy enough. We met up with the group at the beach around 7:00PM, and the first thing the guy told us was to put on bug spray. They use some sort of homemade concoction, and I wanted to ask what it was, but they seemed mum on the whole thing. Trade secret. The stuff had baby oil in it, and we put it on every inch of exposed skin, including our face, neck and ears. Yuck, though the bay is known to the locals as “Mosquito Bay.” Great.

I figured we’d be the only ones there since it was quiet season, but the group was huge. There must have been 30 people out there. We broke up into pairs and headed to the water. By the time we got the kayaks, it was dark, and we paddled out to open water. It was really cool, because you could see the water glow. The way it works is the plankton, dinoflagellites for the claedists in the group, glow when agitated, and all it takes is dipping your hand or oar into the water, and they light up.

They said that the Bioluminescent Bay in Vieques has the highest concentration of glowing plankton in the world, so it was truly a unique experience. Plus, there was a lightning storm way off in the ocean, which added to the spectacle. It was clear where we were, so the stars were amazing. N and I had fun just paddling around the open sea, as well.

Definitely a must-see experience on the island, and I’m glad we saw it. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to justinpocta for the pic.