Braving the Bio Bay

It's still a bit surreal to look back on this particular experience. It was out of this world. We did not get photos (perhaps one if I worked the camera right), as we were in the water. 3 days ago, we ventured to Fajardo, a short drive (without traffic) from San Juan. We had booked ourselves on a catamaran for a nightime journey to the island of Vieques. If you care, this is an island off the east coast of Puerto Rico, where the other half has family ties. His great, great grandfather (I believe) was the first governor of this island. If what the other half tells me is true, they "own" the island. If you follow the news, this was also a much fought over US military installation, up until quite recently. We left the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, right at sundown. Seeing the sun set behind the mountains of El Yunque (the rain forest) was pretty amazing. We pulled away from the marina and sped off into the absolutely splendid evening. If you're having visions of the film Open Water, you're not alone. We overheard others on our trip mention the same thing. The other half and I had this film in mind as we approached the marina. It was a quick half hour to Vieques (a nice change from our public ferry trip to Vieques 2 years ago; over an hour!), and we were then taken by van (guagua) to a local restaurant (part of our tour package). I'll get into the food later. Ohhhh, the food. The other half and I have already made plans to find local Puerto Rican cuisine. I digress. We then got back into the guagua and made our way to the south of the island where we were boarded onto an old school bus. It was an intensely bumpy journey from the "Bio Bay" tourist center, to the actual location. How to describe what followed? The other half and I actually quoted the film Contact as we experienced this sensation..."No words to describe...should have sent a poet." Don't razz me if this quote is wrong, you get the picture. As the bus left, we were boarded onto a "pontoon" type boat. If you looked up, you could see every conceivable star, constellation, viewable planet and satellite. It was breathtaking! We left the beach (it's about 10pm, in a relatively isolated area of the island) and then the boat captain turned off the boat lights. All around us, you could see small lights in the water. As the boat propelled through the water, it would glow a bright blue. Dinoflagellates (microscopic plankton) are the culprit. Every time they are disturbed, their defense mechanism is to light themselves. You could see any fish moving or jumping from the water, cuz as they zipped by, they left a trail of light. This all seems too crazy to be real, and I certainly didn't think it would be this amazing. The whole thing looked like a ride straight out of a Disney theme park. It did not seem real! We went about the bay for a short time and then came to the place where we were allowed to get into the water. I was apprehensive at first, cuz I can't swim. They provided little buoyant belts, so that eased my tension. The water we were about to enter, is known for its high salt content. That, along with the tiny creatures, allows for extra buoyancy and great health benefits for your skin. The water was about 11 feet deep. As I descended the ladder into the water, my heart was racing and I will admit it...I was terrified. I had never been in "open water" and as much as I admire sharks, they scare the shit out of me! Of course there supposedly weren't any anyway. Once I was in, there were no regrets. We swam away from the boat...With each movement, the water would glow around you. A serene blue color. Spitting water from your mouth, looked like the product of 4th of July sparklers. A kind swimmer next to us, let us use his goggles, telling us to look under the water while we moved. It was like an acid trip (so I gather). This all sounds so lame, cuz there is really no way to describe what was happening. Like I said, "Should have sent a poet." My understanding is that there are only 5 such bays on the planet, 3 of which are in Puerto Rico. As cheesy as it may sound, this was a once in a lifetime experience. In addition, we were there on the new moon, meaning the glow around us was even brighter. I braved the bio bay and survived to tell about it. Sadly, as light and other types of pollution gather around this place, it probably won't last forever. Our guide told us to pass on this experience to others, and the news that this should be preserved. So go. Take a gander. Pass it on. You'll never forget it!

ps. If the picture turned out, I'll post it later.