Kayaking through Puerto Rico’s Laguna Grande, every paddle stroke ignites glowing bioluminescence, transforming the water into a shimmering, starlit spectacle.
Gliding Through the Mangroves: A Mysterious Journey
The light from the front is faint as we glide through the mangroves. A picture builds of dimly-lit fragments; snaking white branches rise up and lurch over towards each other, forming an arch. More come into view. Actually, it’s more like a tunnel. The narrow channel of water our convoy is moving through has nature’s arms wrapped around it.
The Tranquility of Nighttime Kayaking in Puerto Rico
There’s a wonderful peace to kayaking at night. However, our mission to Laguna Grande in the north-eastern corner of Puerto Rico has something more to it than mere tranquillity.
As the paddle hits the water, a patch of white glows around the blade. It looks as if a fluorescent lamp is stitched inside it. But the light is coming from the water, not the blade. These brackish fringes of the island are home to billions of tiny microorganisms called Pyrodinium Bahamense. If it gives any indication of how pathetic and insignificant they are, krill eat them. But they inhabit these waters in such numbers that they create quite the spectacle. As they are disturbed, they get agitated and glow. A paddle stroke doesn’t kill them – it just sends them dormant for a few hours.
One of the world’s rarest natural phenomena
According to our guides, there are only five spots in the world where these light shows are possible. Three are in Puerto Rico, and Laguna Grande – where we’re heading – is the best. They would say that, obviously, but the nickname of Bioluminescent Bay has been bestowed for good reason.
A mesmerising display under the starlit sky
We emerge from our mangrove tunnel into open water, then switch the lights at the front of the kayaks off. Now, starlight is our guide, and the silhouetted shoreline of the bay provides a comforting embrace. There’s a lighthouse in the distance, and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.
I’m too busy looking at the water, though. Flashes of light dance across it, like shooting stars across a night sky. It takes a few seconds to realise why, and then it clicks. It’s fish, some skirting just under the surface, some leaping out, causing microorganism-level chaos as they go.
Playing with the bioluminescent glow
I start to get playful. I thrash the paddle along the water. My goal is to create as big a splash as possible. The rippling flash of light shoots across like an x-rayed version of a boat’s wake.
I put my hand in and it suddenly sparkles into life. The specks dance across my fingers, then fade, one by one until only darkness remains. It feels like the death of a computer-generated projection. After the plug is pulled, it slowly flickers out. One final pixel is sucked into the black hole.
Booking bioluminescent kayaking tours in Puerto Rico
The bioluminescent kayaking tours in Puerto Rico cost $65 and can be booked online.
