What to pack for a bioluminescent bay tour

Pack for wet, dark, and buggy: quick-dry clothes you don’t mind getting salty, a dry bag for your phone, insect repellent, and small cash for park fees. A bio bay tour is an after-hours trip on the water, not a beach outing, so what you actually need is shorter and more practical than most packing lists suggest.

What to wear

Clothes you don’t mind getting wet or salty. Kayak tours especially will splash you, and even motorboat tours can get you damp from spray. Closed-toe water shoes or sandals with a back strap are worth it, flip-flops tend to come off in a kayak or on a slippery dock. A light jacket or windbreaker is useful, boat spray at night can be cool even in a warm climate.

What to bring

• A dry bag or a sealable plastic bag, for your phone, keys, and anything else you don’t want soaked.
• Insect repellent, applied before you leave your accommodation. Mangrove-adjacent departure points have real mosquito activity at dusk. Do not apply it right before getting in the water if your tour includes swimming (La Parguera).
• Cash, in small bills. Some operators charge separate park or maintenance fees on top of the tour price, and Isla Nena Biobay Boat Tours in Vieques, for one, charges a small cash-only park fee.
• Motion sickness medication, if you are prone to it and you’re booking a motorboat tour in open water.

What to leave behind or turn off

• Bright phone flashlights and camera flashes. Any bright light source, including your phone’s screen at full brightness, ruins the darkness everyone on the boat needs to actually see the glow. Set your phone to its lowest brightness or, better, leave it in your bag until you’re back on land.
• White light of any kind, including headlamps set to white rather than red mode. If you bring a light for getting to the dock, switch it off once the tour starts.
• Expectations of great phone photos. See the photography guide for why, and ask your operator whether cameras are even permitted during the tour.

A note on sunscreen

Skip it entirely for an evening tour, there’s no sun to protect against, and sunscreen residue is one of the things commonly cited as harmful to the bay’s ecosystem if you’re on a swimming tour at La Parguera. Apply any sunscreen you need for the daytime hours well before your tour, not right before.