I’m not great with plant identification, but I think this one is a prickly pear from the opuntia cactus family. We spotted several interesting cacti on Vieques, and being that I’m better with photos than I am with words, that’s all I have to say about that. Happy Friday!
This post is going to be a bit of a departure from my typical photo-heavy entries because when I signed up for a bioluminescent bay kayak tour on Vieques, I decided to leave my camera behind for once and enjoy the experience without documenting a single moment. I knew that properly capturing the bioluminescence of the dinoflagellates would require the low-light capabilities of my SLR, and there was no way I was going to attempt balancing on a sit-on-top kayak with the 5DMIII in my hands. My waterproof point-and-shoot doesn’t have manual controls so I opted to be completely present and out from behind a camera for the tour.
This is all to say that I have no photos to show you.
After failing to see a bio bay two times on previous trips, I had my fingers crossed that the third time would be a charm. The first attempt was in 2000 when my friends and I took a Caribbean cruise and signed up for a bio bay kayak tour at the Puerto Rico port of call. Sadly, a storm made the waves too choppy for kayaking and the tour was canceled. The second time was in 2013 when Chris and I stayed in San Juan for a week, but the exact same thing happened: storm, waves, choppy water, canceled tour. I was determined to see the bioluminescence this time, and I even consulted the moon phase chart to ensure we picked the darkest night to see the bay. Astronomy for the win!
On the night of the new moon with no storm in the forecast, Stephanie, Arne, Chris, and I took the 7:30pm Bio Bay Glass Bottom Boat Kayak Tour with Fun Brothers located in Esperanza. We met our guide near the bamboo hut shown below (photo taken during the day) where we boarded a very small school bus for some off-roading on a narrow dirt path through the dark forest.
After the bumpiest ride I’ve ever experienced, we arrived at the sandy entrance to Mosquito Bay. Despite the name, I don’t think any of us felt any bug bites that night, but we might have been lucky with a dry day and a good breeze. Here’s the part I didn’t expect – we were instructed to remove our shoes and leave them on the bus. And here’s the other part I didn’t expect – we walked in the dark through shallow muddy water to enter the kayaks.
Bare feet + darkness + black water with mud and other things in it = me shrieking uncontrollably.
I managed to make it into the kayak right away without capsizing, but it did take me a good five minutes on the water to settle down and feel comfortable. I’ve only been in a kayak one other time (in Alaska) mind you, and that was in the middle of the day. Our guide, Nelson, set out paddling ahead of us and we followed him. Our tour group of ten people met him in the middle of the water for a brief overview of the dinoflagellates before free time to explore. We stayed together for Nelson’s briefing by holding onto his kayak, which meant we were all clustered together quite close. I didn’t get to enjoy his information and jokes because I was concentrating on not tipping over while the other kayaks bumped into mine.
Once he gave us the green light (no pun intended!) to go off on our own, we paddled away from the group, noticing a faint glow as our oars dipped into the water. I’ll be frank: at first I thought, that’s it?! I walked through creepy sludge and paddled my way out into the darkness just to see a bit of light when I paddle?! But as we let our eyes continue to adjust, we started to see other things happening: glowing bubbles under our glass-bottomed kayaks, the luminescent outline of each gentle wave forming and breaking, and shimmering schools of fish darting past. I noticed that the farther we paddled away from the lights of the town nearby and the more I stared at one dark spot in the water, the better I could see the glow. Something pretty big and glowing swam underneath me and gave me a startle, but I managed to stay in the kayak or else this post would have a very different it-was-the-worst-thing-ever tone.
We spent at least thirty minutes on the bay experiencing this natural phenomenon, and in the end I decided that it was definitely worth the unpleasant barefooted moments. If you’re planning a trip to Vieques, this really is a neat experience and you’d do well to book with Fun Brothers. They kept us safe and informed, and we all had a great time. Plus the glass-bottomed kayaks do add to the experience. If you are on the fence about this tour because you’re not crazy about the idea of being on the water in the dark, we’re in the same boat (pun totally intended!) and I had fun so you can absolutely do it, too.
In my Vieques research and planning, I discovered one of the most frequently recommended snorkel locations, Mosquito Pier. Off of Rt. 200, a mile-long pier extends out to sea splitting the northern shore in two. If you fly into Vieques from the mainland, you can easily see the pier shortly before landing. The pier originally began as a U.S. Navy project in 1941 to create a sea wall that would connect Vieques to the main island of Puerto Rico. The project was never completed, and now the spot is a popular site for snorkeling and swimming. The calm waters to the left of the pier (facing out to sea) provide an excellent place for snorkelers and divers to see healthy corals, large schools of fish, and sea turtles.
To enter the water, the four of us drove to a chain-link fence maybe half-way down the pier and parked our Jeep. (Side note: we followed the rental agency’s advice to leave our car empty with the doors unlocked since petty theft is a minor issue on the island.) A set of stairs to the left of the fence provided easy albeit slippery entry into the ocean. Along the rocks in the shallow water there we spotted sea urchins, blue tangs, bar jacks, trumpet fish, needle nose fish, sponges, and corals.
Following the pier out to the west, we found all kinds of interesting sea life around and attached to the pilings. I originally hadn’t planned to swim underneath the pier because it seemed creepy and maybe a little dangerous (I kept an eye on the water level and the waves so we didn’t hit our heads), but once we were out there we spotted turtles so off I went. It was a little murky and dark, but there was so much to see that my fears melted away. Chris and I swam around with a couple of turtles, and I also saw the tiniest sergeant majors ever, no bigger than my pinky fingernail.
As a bonus, a very special 375-year-old Ceiba Tree sits near Mosquito Pier, so we stopped by to pay homage to this sacred site. I meant to have a seat and take a photo with the ancient tree, but close inspection revealed that it was covered with little red bugs, so I probably don’t need to further explain why I didn’t sit down. I’m getting really brave in the water, but I still don’t want anything to do with bugs!
Up next: the story of how I went kayaking on the ocean…in complete darkness!
This photo is a good example of something I’ll pull over and stop to capture while driving around and exploring. Chris is awesome at responding to my random spur-of-the-moment pleas to stop the car. These pockets of colorful art around the island of Vieques were one of my favorite things to photograph!
One of the reasons we were super excited about our trip to Vieques was for the abundance of famed beautiful beaches. During my initial research, I had read about the varied coastlines around the island and I was eager to explore each one – the picturesque soft sands and clear water at La Chiva, the volcanic black sand of Playa Negra, and even the rocky landscape of the small beach right behind Villa Chavaniac where we were staying for the week (pictured below).
On our first full day, we pointed our trusty Jeep Wrangler down a bumpy road straight for La Chiva to experience postcard-worthy panoramas. Our cargo space carried folding chairs, towels, sunscreen, and all of the essentials for a day on the beach. However, when we arrived at Blue Beach, we found massive amounts of seaweed (specifically sargassum) lining the white sand and collecting in the shallow water.
We popped in and out of different entrances to La Chiva and found each section pretty well covered in seaweed. No matter though, we figured another beach nearby might be a better spot. We checked out Pata Prieta and Caracas, but found the same situation. In some areas the seaweed was even piled up several feet high.
Not to be deterred, we set out the following day in search of our perfect beach. We headed west to find Punta Arenas, and we discovered a clear expanse of sand and water free of seaweed. Score! And snorkeling in this spot was pretty decent. A short swim down the shoreline rewarded us with a small batch of healthy coral and colorful juvenile fish.
Mid-week, Chris and I drove by Gallito Beach on the north side of the island. It was lightly sprinkled with seaweed, but not too bad at all. We didn’t swim here – I was simply looking for good beach photo ops. Check!
Playa Negra, a short hike from the road along a clear trail, wasn’t the blackest black sand beach I’ve ever seen and we didn’t end up swimming there either, but it was incredibly beautiful nonetheless. It was also the perfect spot for a few portraits.
photo by Chris Marks
Esperanza Beach along the south side of the island seemed to be a popular choice for locals and tourists alike. I’m not sure what the pattern is with the seaweed, but this seemed to be one of the only southern areas that wasn’t plagued quite as much as the other beaches.
On our last full day Chris and I hung out at the house for a low-key day, but my sister and Arne kept exploring and finally found their perfect beach in Sun Bay, which is also along the southern shore. The soft sand was free and clear of seaweed, and the clear turquoise shallow water stretched out before them without a trace of sargassum.
photo by Stephanie G’Schwind
I don’t claim to be any kind of botanist, but from what I’ve read sargassum shows up in cycles at various times in the year for multiple reasons (tradewinds, tides, changes in temperature, etc.). We encountered it in Belize as well. Here’s an article that goes into some details about the weed, includIng some of its benefits to the environment. It doesn’t sound like there’s any way to predict it well in advance like when you’re in trip-planning mode, but if you do visit Vieques at least you can rest assured there are tons of beaches to choose from, and chances are good you’ll find an amazing spot as long as you’re up for the adventure of looking for it. For us that was part of the fun!
The moral of the blog post/story is if you don’t find your perfect beach on the first try, keep exploring!