Best nights to experience the bio bay in Puerto Rico
Before booking your bioluminescent bay tour in Puerto Rico it’s sort of vital to know the moon phase and make sure it is in good viewing condition. The best night to explore a bioluminescent bay takes place when light pollution is reduced to a minimum. Therefore it’s strongly encouraged to consult with a tour guide or check our Bio Bay Moon Calendar at the end of this article.
If the moon is too bright, typically when it’s in waxing and full phases, the tour operators will bring a dark piece of cloth to cover up excessive moonlight. The size of the moon is not as important as timing its phase. Generally, it is the brightest for the five days before becoming full. The perfect viewing conditions for glowing water are when the moon is new or in the waning phase.
Another factor affecting the level of luminescence in the bay is the amount of sunlight during the day. Glowing microorganisms recharge with solar energy. The more energy they receive during the day, the more glittery the glow will be at night.
Bio Bay Calendar and Moon Cycles
Full Moon
As it is explained in the introduction video, this is the moment when the moon is facing the sun and reflecting the biggest amount of light. So without a doubt, this is time for you to enjoy a piña colada and beautiful sunset. The full moon is the worst time to visit the bio bay because of the brightness of the night you won’t be able to see dinoflagellates in action. Even if you are visiting Puerto Rico for a short amount of time I would recommend not to go, you would be disappointed.
4 Waning Phases and 4 bits of Advice
- Waning: This is when the brightness of the moon starts to decrease. But because it is the early stage of the process I would recommend you to wait a few days if possible
- Waning Gibbous: Things are getting better and the amount of sunlight reflected by the moon on planet earth keeps decreasing. That said I would keep waiting a few days but if your stay in PR is by its end, you can give it a chance #fingercrossed
- Waining Half: With this new moon phase, we are now entering a period where light conditions are great enough to enjoy kayaking one of the three bio bays in Puerto Rico.
- Waning Crescent: This is the last phase before the new moon and it is clearly offering you one of the best chances to have a wonderful experience. No doubt, you should go!
The new moon is the best day to kayak on the bio bay
Let’s be straightforward here when our bio bay moon calendar indicates “New Moon”, it is the best moment to kayak bio bays. I would say that one day before and one day after are also offering perfect conditions. So for those of you who are lucky enough to have this opportunity of planning a tour on the new moon, just enjoy it! Hopefully, mother nature will show you all her beauty.
4 Waxing Phases with 4 pieces of Advice
- Waxing Crescent: This is a time, just after the new moon, when nights are still completely dark. Take your chance, the condition is just perfect in that period!
- Waxing Half: The brightness of the moon keeps increasing but clearly not to a critical stage. This is a great time to enjoy mother earth’s beauty.
- Waxing Gibbous: In this new moon phase nights are less dark but if dinoflagellates are active these days you should book a tour! Ask your tour guide about it.
- Waxing: The last phase just before the full moon I would recommend you to postpone your tour on the bio bay. That said kayaking by night is also a great experience even without seeing many dinoflagellates.