March 5, 2024
The island of Vieques used to be a US Military base where they practiced bombing, beach invasions, and other secret military operations. The inhabitants were restricted from visiting beaches and basically forced to live in the principal town. When the military left in 2004 the island opened up and was discovered to have a wonderful bioluminescenct bay.
We took a tour of the lovely island and saw the highlights. The bioluminescent bay called Mosquito Bay was a real highlight. You go out on a tour in kayaks at night. Our kayaks slid across the calm warm waters at dusk and slowly as it got darker these amazing creatures started to light up when we disturbed the water with our paddles. In this little body of water lives Pyrodinium bahamense, a dinoflagellate that glows a greenish-blue when agitated. The sight was absolutely amazing and the entire group of us laughed and lit up with excitement. It was a lovely way to end the day.
