Where are the world's bioluminescent bays and what makes them glow?
In a handful of rare bays, every paddle stroke ignites an explosion of electric blue light.
The answer
Bioluminescent bays contain extreme concentrations of dinoflagellates - single-celled organisms, primarily Pyrodinium bahamense, that emit blue-green light when disturbed. Puerto Rico hosts three of the world's brightest: Mosquito Bay in Vieques holds the Guinness record with up to 700,000 organisms per liter. Laguna Grande in Fajardo and La Parguera in Lajas are also renowned. Jamaica's Luminous Lagoon in Falmouth and Vietnam's Halong Bay offer similar experiences. The glow is produced by luciferin reacting with luciferase when mechanical disturbance triggers an electrical signal across the cell membrane. Red mangrove ecosystems surrounding these bays provide vitamin B12 essential for dinoflagellate growth, making the specific geography irreplaceable.
Source: National Geographic
- bioluminescence
- dinoflagellates
- Puerto Rico
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