On a moonless night in Vieques take a ride into one of the most magical places in the world. Look behind the boat and watch the shimmering glow of the wake. When it stops and the guide stomps a foot on the deck, hundreds of luminescent streaks appear in the path of scattering fish. Imagine taking a dip and finding yourself enveloped in a blue-green glow, lifting your hand from the water and watching the glowing water drip off into the phosphorescent pool beneath. Fish swimming in the bay leave a bioluminescent trail as do boats, raindrops and people swimming. This phenomenon of bioluminescence is so intense, so awe-inspiringly beautiful and so dependable that Mosquito Bay in Vieques, also called the Bioluminescent Bay or the Bio Bay, could easily be called the eighth wonder of the world. Waving your arms in the water makes angel wings appear. The stronger the movement, the brighter the glow. Enter the world that time forgot, the last of its kind to still maintain such a high level of luminescence.
If you splash water on your hair it will drip crystals of light like tiny sparkling jewels. If you bang on the sides of your kayak and scare the fish you will see the streaks of light they make underwater as they dart away from the sound. If it starts to rain, the whole bay will light up. Truly an amazing experience!
The light is produced by trillions of micro-organisms that become luminescent when disturbed. The concentration here is an astounding 720,000 per gallon. Vieques is one of the few places in the world where pollution has not decimated the population. It is fortunate indeed that Vieques has escaped mainstream tourism.
You cannot miss the bio bay tour on Vieques... there is truly nothing like it anywhere else in the Carribean. There are several tour operators on Vieques through which you can arrange a visit to the Bio Bay.
- Island Adventures, they take you out on a flat bottom electric boat and get to swim in the bay. 787-741-0720
- Blue Caribe tour on kayaks. 787-741-2522
- Abe's snorkeling and Bio-Bay tours. 787-741-2134
