We stood around the canoe launch site at Haulover Canal on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Our guide held up a two-bladed paddle and explained techniques. Dig this way, the kayak goes that way. You know the drill.
She joked about those kayaks with two people paddling had to sign a waiver they’d still be speaking to one another at the end. Laughter. No, seriously, once she had to separate a couple. Whoa. I wondered if one of them had to swim back. She didn’t say.
Florida’s Original Bioluminescent Kayak Tour
The sun went down. We were waiting on a last group to arrive for Florida’s Original Bioluminescent Kayak Tour (whew – long title!) but still, I felt she was lingering, eyeing the sunset while we were practically pawing the ground, ready to go. She had a reason and I’d soon find out why.
Leaving someone behind to wait for the latecomers, we snuggled our buns into kayaks, managed not to bump into one another and paddled over to Manatee Lagoon. Sure enough, cries and shouts were heard when manatee snouts appeared as the big, gentle mammals came up for air.
Then we activated luminescent tubes on lanyards. We hung them backwards so the light dangled on our backs. Ours were bluish; the guide had a green glowing light. When in doubt, follow the green light – the guides know where they are going.
Almost single file now we paddle out of Manatee Lagoon, a long line of blue lights, and we end up in Mosquito Lagoon. It lives up to its name. Even with yucky toxic bug repellent sprayed all over me I’d reach down and throw water on my face to get rid of mosquitoes.
We shelved our paddles and drifted. Deep night had arrived without a whisper, like a cat creeping silently. This is why our guide lingered at the launch. The tour is all about night moves. And the dark night was full of surprises.
She instructed us to push a paddle through the water and watch what happened. A beautiful silvery blue light appeared. Thousands, maybe millions, of single cell organisms in the water light up when agitated at night. They only do this in warm summer months of June, July and August and only in two places in the world – here and in Costa Rica.
I dipped my hand in the water and waved it back and forth. The fantastic light show followed me. No sc fi movie could duplicate this – it felt otherworldly and magical.
A mullet darted in the shallows, its trail streaked with silvery blue light. Nobody knows why the bioluminescence occurs. But does it matter? I often think there is too much information. Sometimes it is just a great blessing to be there, in fact you HAVE to be here for this experience – photos won’t work.
Rain had dominated the daylight hours. Thick clouds stayed in the night sky. And then they parted. I saw a shooting star. The clear sky looked like the inside of a big bowl painted midnight blue and speckled with stars twinkling, putting on their own light show. Look up. Look down. Wow. A big WOW.
Bioluminescent kayak tours happen in summer months
A Day Away Kayak Tours in Titusville does the two to two and a half hour bioluminescent kayak tours in summer months. The skill level is beginner. Next tour is August 8 at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $32 adult, $32 young adult and $24 child. Phone (321) 268-2655.
Other night moves coming up – when the weather cools, say October, do a moonlight walk on a Clearwater Beach with Linda Taylor of It’s Our Nature This moonlight walk is Chapter 32 in “50 Great Walks with Lucy”, University Press of Florida, 2009.
Enjoy.
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