you might remember from a previous post that the main reason i chose Puerto Rico for my vacation was to see the bio-bay.  i found out when i confirmed my kayak trip that the bay hasn’t been very bright the last 5 months, and i was told that i should keep expectations low.

i went to one of three bays in Puerto Rico, El Farjado.  it was the closest to the hotel, but not the brightest.  the brightest right now is in Vieques, which is a ferry ride and an overnight away. maybe next time i visit i can make it over there.

i went out with Island Kayaking Adventures, they were a great group and did a good job with the trip coordination and guiding.  we took off from Las Croabas Park and we were in two person kayaks; i went out with a nice Mom and little girl from North Carolina, her husband and son were in a different kayak.  the kayaking through the very dark mangroves was 30 minutes and we ended up in the bay known as Laguna Grande.  it was a cloudy night so that made it a bit bright, but the tour guides had a tarp for us to hang out under so we could see the glow of the micro organisms, the dinoflagellates.

it was barely visible, but you could see a little something when you swirled your hand around in the water.  i won’t lie, i was sad at the lack of lights, but having a little girl in the kayak so happy to see the “sparkles and glitters” in the water definitely made me appreciate what the bay did have to offer.

sorry, no photo of the sparkles.  i didn’t even bring the camera, which was a good thing.  it would have been soaking wet and there is a good chance it would have a new home at the bottom of the Laguna Grande.

photo courtesy of ikapr.com