Today we are heading to do an excursion TO THE BIO BAY! It was a raining-nasty day once we got there and there was even lightening. I wasn't sure that this night was going to happen but I held out hope and we drove to the marina.

As we sat in the marina parking lot we started to see the lightening off in the distance. I wasn't hopeful that our excursion was even going to happen. I tried to get in touch with the vendor using facebook, email and their website. I finally received a response saying they would be going out as far as they knew. I spotted a guy on the dock that with their name on it and decided to get out and talk to him. He said the storm was "moving out" and we should be fine.

We waited in the car for 1 1/2 hours and had 2 potty breaks during this time. This was bathroom patrol and you had to outsmart them to make it in the door.

Inside the bathroom, I would find this sign...

I'm thinking maybe too many people that visit here have been to places in the Caribbean where you are not allowed put your toilet paper in the toilet and must put it in the trash can. That has to be it. 

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When it was almost time, one of the employees walked over to the car and told us we could come over and sign the waiver for the trip. There was another couple that was also waiting. The company also had a tour bus that left about this time. I guess they were headed to a hotel to pick up more people.

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They told us to go ahead and walk down and get on the boat. They explained they had a brand new very nice boat...and nice it was.

So I bet everyone is wondering WHAT ARE YOU DOING MITSUGIRLY???? PLEASE TELL US!!

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Ok, the suspense is up. We are doing a tour to the bioluminescent bay tonight to see it all light up in it's glory...at least we had hoped so. We tried this once before in Puerto Rico and although we did see a few glimmers here and there (after we put a large black tarp over the side of the boat and poked our headed under it, it was NOTHING that I thought it was going to be like. However, I had been reading the reviews of this place and they had a lot of good ones. I had also read that the best way to see them was to actually be inside the water splashing around.

I had checked the moon schedule, because this is very important in having the best opportunity to see this. The less the moon and light, the better the chance and I wanted the best chance we could possibly have during the time we are here. I used this chart to pick a day and from August 5th to August 12th, the best night to go would be tonight (well, other than the 13th but we didn't want to be out late that night due to leaving the following day). 

This particular tour company is the only one that I found that will get you down in the water to swim with them. Others do the boating and kayaking but not down in the water. So, you are assured the best chance of seeing them this way. 

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So what is the bio bay? What makes it light up?

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They are little microscopic organisms in the water that reacts with a light as a defensive mechanism when disturbed. These are called dinoflagellates. They are single cell plankton. An organism called "luciferin" is in the dinoflagellates cell and this chemical will illuminate light when combined with oxygen. They are found in bays due to the shallow depth, warm water, mangroves and decomposition of leaves that fall into the water and create a bacteria. 

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This company operates only 2 1/2 weeks each month due to the moon schedule. They provide you with full body wet suits, dive gloves and dive shoes. This protects you from any jellyfish that may be in the water. These are not your dangerous stinging jellyfish but the one's we held when we were in St Thomas. It's just a precaution and if you do feel a sting, it's faint and doesn't last but a few minutes. 

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The water is warm and there's no current. It is only 4 feet deep in the area you swim in. 

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We all suited up for our trip and thank goodness we got these suits just in time because the mosquitos came out in full force when the sun went down. They also had bug spray to use. This was only a problem as we sat in the marina and not while on the water or in the bay.

After waiting a little bit, a really huge family arrived and we waited on them to suit up before leaving. 

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Their new fancy boat came with all the bells and whistles and had pinkish red lights that would glow on our ride there.

Then we were off. They were playing music and the breeze felt wonderful. The lightening had moved away and it was going to be a good night.

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It was about a 15 minute boat ride out to the bay. Now the area that we had to meet at to go on the tour was at the Yacht Club in West Bay. This was all the way across to the other side of the island. However, the place where the bio bay was is all the way over on the other side of the island at the Rum Point and Kai area. Ironic we would have to drive all the way to the other side of the island only to come back to the side we are staying on. But...we were doing what we had to in order to go with an operator that took us in the water. Even if that meant we would have a long hour drive home late at night. I was hoping it would be worth it.

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The houses over there all lit up at night were gorgeous! The closer in we got into the bay the bigger and better they were. WOW!!

Woo wee, we had arrived and couldn't wait.

As we went really slow into the cove to find the perfect spot the excitement grew. We did see a few kayak's in the water. Our guide did tell us, you will never get the full experience unless you are in the water snorkeling with it. They will not be able to see what you will see when they are above water just splashing around. I promise you!

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I decided to let the fam go in first. I wanted to see if I could capture them splashing around and get any pictures possible. The staff said that the only known way to capture any of it that they had found was by using the new iphone. Other iphones didn't quite work for some reason and to make sure to have it on a long setting. I tried several times with my camera, gopro and had no success. So, I tried with the iphone. Over and over and over again. The boat had the red/pink lights on so when I started to capture SOMETHING in the water, I was super excited. I told the family SPLASH! SPLASH AS HARD AS YOU CAN...KEEP GOING...DON'T STOP. 

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I wasn't 100% sure what I had but I had something and this is what it was. (Both the hubby and Sakari in the water splashing around and hanging onto the pool noodles)

Hey it's something right? You could see them in the water and you could see the plankton lighting up blue. It was so cool.  I couldn't wait to get in now and see it for myself. Sakari kept saying "You HAVE TO SEE THIS!! Underwater is so cool mom"

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One of the guides told me to get in and he would take some pictures for me...he never did so a little disappointing.

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I got in and looked under the water and splashed around and OH EMMMMM GEEEEE! WOW! I never thought that was what it was going to look like...ever. It was AMAZING! The coolest experience I have ever seen. Like seriously! I can't even begin to express it. 

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We were in the water for quite some time. I didn't want this experience to end. We were trying different things. Sakari yells "mom, keep your hands really still under water and stare at them" so I did. It was like my fingers had sparkles all over them. We were trying everything and I was trying to get pictures or videos of it. It just wasn't working out the greatest. I don't know how people capture this stuff the way they show it online. 

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But, I had them frantically swishing the water around "Kick your feet like you are swimming from a man eating megalodon and wave your arms and hands as fast as you can like you're a bird trying to fly" I yelled to them. You could see the sparkles everywhere and I was trying every setting I possibly could on my GoPro and the camera. 

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If you look at the next 2 pictures, you will see all of the water with them moving around in it but you will see the sparkles around it and some of them happen to stand out at the precise moment I took the picture or video. 

Can you see all the sparkles? And the blueness of them all around? (I turned on the magnifying glass on these pictures in case you try to get a better close up).

The guide told us to do various things like "snap your fingers", "keep you hands still and look at them" (we already discovered), "clap your hands", and "do the running man". Then he says "Whatever you do, don't pee...we will all know" LOL  So, I had to try it of course. Nope, didn't work according to my family. They didn't see anything. HA!

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They let us stay out there as long as we wanted. When a majority of people started getting back up on the boat, they finally told us to come. Yep, we were the last to get on. I just didn't want it to end. It was so pretty and such a mind blowing experience. One that we will never forget for sure and will brag about it for years to come.

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It was time to head back and they provided us with a lot of water, beer, regular pop and flavored drinks...none of which we drink other than the water. I knew I should have brought my own Diet Pepsi. But I sucked it up, had water, and snuck a few sips of Sakari's sugary goodness drink.

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Here's the video I made of our adventure.  You'll be able to see the sparkles in the video of them kicking to stir them up. They were just everywhere.

We headed back and couldn't stop talking about our experience and I honestly couldn't wait to get home to see what I actually got on my pictures and video. I had my fingers crossed and hoped for the best. 

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All I can say is that if you get a chance to do this tour....DO NOT HESITATE!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS EXPERIENCE.