Bioluminescence Kayak Tour
Description
In the warm and dark lagoon waters lies a natural phenomenon of glowing blue waters alive with activity. The swirling of your hand, every paddle stroke, and the rolling wake off of your kayak all sparkle throughout the darkness. Not only do fish leave trails, dolphins look like torpedoes, and manatees a slow and graceful submarine. Many guests compare the experience to Pandora of “Avatar.” Some even recall the bioluminescence scene in “Life of Pi” as the gentle plankton leave a trickling glow when you hold it in your hands and let it trickle down your arm. Though some may jokingly blame this on NASA runoff, it is actually the biological response of microscopic algae called a dinoflagellate. The perfectly natural and harmless concentration of organisms produces light before your very eyes, often existing in millions per liter of water. Your tour will include a ton of information about these rare and exotic creatures with the most experienced guides in the area
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- What to bring:
- Clothes you don’t mind getting a little wet. Towel (left in car)
- Water Shoes – sandals or Crocs that can be worn in the water
- Bring an extra change of clothes just in case
- Camera & Dry bag (optional) These are fairly useless to capture bioluminescence, but great for capturing people.
- Bottled water, Snacks
- Any special personal paddling gear if you like
- You may bring a flashlight, though we will provide a safety light.
Reviews(906)
We had an awesome time tonight on our Bioluminescence Kayak Tour with our guide Jared. It was a calm night out on the water and under the the beautiful sky. Jared was quite informative and guided through the waters with ease. We got out on the water just in time to see a beautiful sunset, a Manatee gave our guide, Jared and all of us a surprise as we witnessed a Manatee rodeo, we saw "Little John" the Alligator, schools of jumping Mullet one even hit my daughter in the arm! The Jumping Fish: Mullet (specifically Striped or White Mullet) These schooling fish constantly leap completely out of the water, especially when startled by a kayak or paddle movement. They can leap several feet in the air, often creating trails of glowing blue water as they launch through the bioluminescent dinoflagellates. The Glowing "Jellyfish": Comb Jellies (Ctenophores) Despite their appearance, comb jellies are not true jellyfish—they don't sting at all and are completely harmless to touch. They emit a cold blue-green light (bioluminescence) when agitated. During the day or under direct light, the tiny hair-like cilia they use to swim diffract sunlight into a shimmering rainbow pattern. We were nervous about mosquitoes and no seeums so I ordered a mosquito net suit from Amazon for $19.99 and we didn't get one bite!! I highly recommend this tour it's one you will remember.
One of the coolest things you can do on the coast. The bioluminescence was unlike anything you’ll see before and we had so many mullet jump, like lightning in the water. We also saw dolphins and them hunting! My friends and I have travelled around the world and combine have been to around 50 countries, and we all said this is one of the coolest things we’ve ever done. The guides David and Jessica were amazing, knowledgeable, and made sure we were all safe and having fun the whole time.
Amazing experience. Renada, Nellie, and Kay were wonderful guides, it was a perfect family outing.
It was an incredible experience, we walked out to the meeting point where they talked us through everything we were doing, and what to do in an emergency. The kayaks were in good shape, as were the paddles. They had 3 guides for our big group, and they were all very friendly and helpful. Depending on how long you book your tour for will change how far you go. We didn’t even realize we had paddled 1.5 miles we were having so much fun. The bioluminescence was mesmerizing, we went on a new moon in August, and it was super bright. The pictures do not capture how bright it really is. I recommend looking into the best times to go if you’re really wanting to see the bioluminescence!
It was a magical night. We saw bright glowing waters, flying fish and even a shooting star. Absolutely worth seeing again and again. The guides were passionate and friendly. They were very patient with our kids who were trying to get the hang of paddling.
Great time in the water and seeing the Bioluminescence was really neat. Guides knew what they were doing and were safety conscious.
The meeting location had ample parking. After a safety protocol chat, we were ready to get in the boats. Garrett guided us to calmer waters where an amazing sunset was just the beginning of a magical evening. A sea turtle made a rare appearance. As darkness settled in the bioluminescence became visible with each stroke of the paddle. The mullet started hopping causing trails of bioluminescence. Our sweep, Blue, was always close by to kindly answer questions and help with the kayaks. A bottle- nose dolphin briefly showed itself. Even though we were in Mosquito Lagoon, bugs were not an issue! The time passed so quickly, the rowing was pretty easy.
The tour was exactly as described in the promotional. David, Dylan, Coyote, and Sara all did a great job at keeping the group together and informed along the way. Not an easy task when you have several people who have never kayaked before. Choose this bioluminescence tour and you won’t be disappointed.
10/10. Was magical! Dont miss out! Jared and his crew were awesome! Will book again.
What an awesome experience - a true “bucket list” item! Ashton and Anthony were great guides who took time to educate and allow us to revel in the wonder of it all. Highly recommend!
