BIOLUMINESCENCE Bay excursion

[kasi1979]

Hi,

we´ll be in San Juan aboard Costa Fortuna on February 24th, I´m planning to do the Bioluminescence Bay excursion. As I like to take pictures, is it safe to bring a dslr with you, or would it be better to bring a compact since we are kayaking?

I´ve never been in a kayak, so not sure, what to expect...

 

Also, what else do I need to bring? Bug repellent (any recommendation?), towels?

 

I believe we´ll return somewhat after 11 pm, so just in time to get our drinks as it´ll be my birthday on the 25th...

[RayInPR]

A couple of thoughts ...

 

#1 - If you're hoping to catch photos of "the glow" ... forget about it. If you use a flash, you won't get anything (it has to be dark in order to see it). Your only other choice is it use a super long exposure with a super high ISO setting ... which won't work without a tripod in the water. You'll get nothing but a big blur.

 

#2 - If you want to catch photos of your fellow kayakers, then by all means bring a _waterproof_ camera (like you would use when snorkeling or diving). No matter how careful you are, it _will_ get at least splashed. And there is the chance of dropping it or flipping your kayak.

 

#3 - I assume you're going to Laguna Grande, the bio bay in Fajardo. You can bring towels (leave them in the car or bring a dry bag), since at least your butt will get wet. But remember it's against the law (with stiff fines!) to swim in that bio bay.

 

#4 - You can wear bug spray, but realize that the Deet harms the very organisms that make the water glow. Use sparingly!

 

#5 - Be sure to check the biobay/moon calendar to make sure that the moon will be favorable the night you plan on going.

 

And happy birthday!

[kasi1979]

Thanks for yur quick response, so I´ll leave the camera onboard.

That swimming is not allowed is actually a plus for me, I wouldn´t want to go into dark water.

According to the moon-calendar, we´ll be visiting on new-moon, so hopefully it´ll be a nice experience.

[AESONRISA]

We just got back from doing this tour with Kayaking Puerto Rico. $45 pp. Very good company - we definitely recommend them. They will take your picture as you enter the water so you'll have a good picture and memory for later.($10) They also sell T shirts after the tour. We did bring our camera - just a little compact one. And our pics turned out great. We were a little worried about getting it wet, but took the chance. As it was, we had no issues at all. I barely got my butt wet. The company also has bug repellent on site for you to use. Altho on our night, there were no mosquito's out because there was a slight breeze. They also had a plastic container to hold everyones watches, camera's and wallets for safekeeping. They also give you a snack afterward for all your hard work. This tour is a must do! Only 5 places in the world to see this amazing water feature.

[Thestral]

Sounds like this will be a fun excursion. My roomie and I are doing it next week. Any other advise to give? Sounds like we will need to wear swimsuits and bring a change of clothes. Any other things we need to remember? I plan on picking up a handful of waterproof cameras (don't want to take the risk with my digital one). I'll look for some eco friendly bug spray as well. I don't have a waterproof bag for our extra clothes/towel. Is there someplace safe to store it there or do we have to take our chances and carry it with us?

 

Thanks!!

[AESONRISA]

We just left our towels and clothes to change into in the car. But as it turned out I never even needed to change. I sat on my towel on the way home, but I was pretty much dry the whole trip. No need to buy bug spray - they have it for you there. We wore our swim suits under shorts and tanks. It seemed a little chilly at first, but once you get the life vests on - it kept you warm. You'll love it!

[kasi1979]

Sounds really grat, absolutely looking forward to it.

Thestral, maybe you can come back to us with a short review how you liked it.

 

Thanks

[OVgirl]

We are arriving around 2pm and checking into our hotel(HIE-Condado), hopefully by 3/3:30pm. Is it possible to do the Biolum. tour right from the hotel? We won't have a car and would need transportation there as well. Do the tour companies pick you up? What kind of prices are we to expect for this kind of tour? This isn't something you can do just anywhere and would be worth doing before our cruise.

Thanks to everyone on this site for all the helpful information.

[RayInPR]

Some of the Fajardo biobay operators will provide transportation from the San Juan area provided they can get the minimum # of people they need. Call around ... http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/bio-bay-in-fajardo-by-kayak-or-boat-a-glowing-experience/

[JaKaTo]

Hi, my parents are coming with my husband & I on our cruise (Eurodam, in port March 24th). they are 69 & 72 years old... in not too bad of shape. my Dad & I both have some back issues, but I have kayaked before & not been done in by it. :-) my Mum claims to be totally clumsy. LOL so I'm wondering how they might make out on the kayaking? how difficult is it? has anyone seen other older people making this excursion & doing ok? any help or advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated!! Thanks... Kathy.

[rainforestgirl]

Hi, my parents are coming with my husband & I on our cruise (Eurodam, in port March 24th). they are 69 & 72 years old... in not too bad of shape. my Dad & I both have some back issues, but I have kayaked before & not been done in by it. :-) my Mum claims to be totally clumsy. LOL so I'm wondering how they might make out on the kayaking? how difficult is it? has anyone seen other older people making this excursion & doing ok? any help or advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated!! Thanks... Kathy.

 

Honestly, I think it may be too much for your family. It does require you to sit on hard plastic in one position for a few hours ( it bothers my lower back), and you do need upper arm strength.

 

But you are here for 12 hours, so you have time to do a few things. During the day, you could do a tour of the rain forest. If you do a custom tour, you could have them stop at a garden, or Pinones....

Or you can just take your time and tour OSJ. It is fantastic, but HOT. So

you need to plan on doing a few museums ( they are air conditioned and free or just a few $). Museum of the Americas is my favorite, but the National Gallery is very nice too. "Bodies" and "the earth as viewed from the sky" exhibit are showing.

Get to San Crisotbal fort at about 5pm or so and look around there. The at 6pm, the Le Lo Lai dance/music show starts. Really nice.

Then you can stay in town and eat, and continue to explore or go back to the ship and relax.

You can get around walking or using the free Trolley (until 7pm).

Other tours include: Horse and carriage rides, Segway tours, Legends walking tour etc...

Check out my PR travel guide:

http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/category/oldsanjuan/

[AESONRISA]

You might try this new tour that is being offered by The Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico (Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico) - they now offer night-time walking tours of Las Cabezas Nature Reserve and Laguna Grande. So you get to see the Biobay without the hard rowing experience.

 

It's a new link on "puerto rico day trip" web site.

Visit the Bio Bay on Foot at Las Cabezas Nature Reserve

 

You can visit their web site http://www.fideicomiso.org for more information.

Hope that helps.

[RayInPR]

You might try this new tour that is being offered by The Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico (Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico) - they now offer night-time walking tours of Las Cabezas Nature Reserve and Laguna Grande. So you get to see the Biobay without the hard rowing experience.

 

It's a new link on "puerto rico day trip" web site.

Visit the Bio Bay on Foot at Las Cabezas Nature Reserve

 

You can find the article at http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/las-cabezas-bio-bay-walking-tour/

[carbon]

We took extra days and went over to Vieques and stayed on the island. The bio bay was awesome, swimming is a must do and very safe.