Visit Puerto Rico: Swimming in the La Parguera Bioluminescent Bay

Visiting a bioluminescent bay was on the top of our bucket list for Puerto Rico. We had three to choose from. Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Laguna Grande in Fajardo and La Parguera in Lajas.

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Mosquito Bay is the brightest of the three but takes a little more planning and money to access if not staying on the island of Vieques. Either you have to book a more expensive tour that provides a transportation between Vieques and the main island or you would need to stay on Vieques for the night. When we visited, the ferry between the main island and Vieques was running, but it was not noted to be reliable. Also, by the time the tour was over we would not be able to catch the last ferry from Vieques back to the main island. Since we were only staying on the east side of the main island for two nights we simply didn’t have time to visit Mosquito Bay.

Laguna Grande is supposed to be the second brightest bio bay and one can book kayak tours through the mangroves to experience the bioluminescence. La Parguera is noted as being the dimmest bio bay but visitors are allows to swim in the bay and have an immersive experience of the bioluminescence.

Our first full day in the area we visited Isabela and it ended up pouring down rain.

The radar indicated rain most of the afternoon, so we hopped in the car and decided to head south. We booked a bio bay tour over the phone on the way to La Parguera with Paradise Scuba and Snorkel. It was fun to drive through a rural part of Puerto Rico, very peaceful with minimal traffic.

We started heading toward Cabo Rojo to visit the lighthouse and natural bridge but as we got closer we realized the extra stop would make us late for the bio bay tour. We needed to plan a little more in advance to fully explore the south west corner of the island.

Paradise Scuba and Snorkel was located in La Parguera in an area with several bars and restaurants. We were able to walk around a bit before the tour started.

Right around sunset we were taken to the boats. There was a larger boat called “Teaser” which had over twenty people on it.

Somehow our group was boarded on a smaller boat with one other person and the Captain. It seemed more like a private tour! Before taking off toward the bay we had delicious empanadillas and drinks on the boat.

After about a 10-15 minute boat ride the boat approached a bay, slowed down, and turned off all of its lights. Eventually we came to a stop and received education about the micro-organisms that cause the glow in the water. We were given directions to stay close to the boats and provided a floatation device that went around our necks. We were offered snorkel gear as well.

At this point I was a little skeptical. We had visited when there was no moon, as recommended, for the brightest experience. I didn’t see any glowing water as the boat entered the bay, the water was dark and the air was a little cool. I thought I would take a quick dip to say I did it, but I wasn’t excited about swimming around in dark water at night.

This all changed as soon as I entered the water – with every movement the water lit up. We then decided to try the snorkel goggles and – WOW. The only way to describe the experience is magical. We tried different movements in the water to see how the bioluminescence changed. Even just lifting your arms out of the water caused the organisms to light up, it was like light was dripping from your arms. We ended up swimming in the water the entire time the boat was in the bay. We were in the water for around 40 minutes and could have stayed even longer.

The ride back was a little chilly but our boat took a slower path through a canal. We were able to see many of the houses along the water.

While this was one of the more expensive activities we did in Puerto Rico, we felt like it was worth it. We paid $40 per person and we would do it again. The experience of swimming in the water and being able to see the glow under water is so unique. We would recommend swimming in the Bio Bay for anyone who is comfortable in water with a light flotation device.

We were not able to capture any pictures or videos of the bioluminescence but we did include some footage of the rest of the tour in our Puerto Rico vacation video below. If you enjoy our content follow our blog and subscribe to our YouTube Channel Explorcation.