Let me just start with this: In my opinion, the Vieques biobay experience is better than the Fajardo biobay. The glow is bright and the electric pontoon trip is easy and relaxing.

I have visited all 3 biobays in Puerto Rico, and Mosquito Bay in Vieques really seems to out-glow the others. It is really an experience you need to have, even if you have already been to the Fajardo biobay or La Parguera biobay. Another plus is that, unlike the others in Puerto Rico, you are (still) allowed to swim in the the Vieques biobay – which I really think it is something everyone should experience!

OK, now lets get down to business …

What do you get when you mix a sunset cruise, a delicious local meal al fresco, swimming in a glowing bio bay on a tropical island, and sipping Pina Coladas under stars? You get the East Island Catamaran tour to the Vieques bio bay.

East Island Excursions offers trips almost every night on their power catamaran from Fajardo to Vieques so you can experience the bioluminescence in Mosquito Bay. They depart from the Puerto del Rey marina in Fajardo. Here are notes from our experience with this trip: They ask you to arrive at the marina by 5:00pm (or so, exact time depends on the time of year). If you’re driving yourself, make sure you take into account rush hour traffic out of the San Juan area that will occur from 4:00pm – 6:30pm during the week.

Getting to the Boat

I like the Puerto del Rey marina because it is easy to find, and has ample gated parking for the guests. When you arrive at the marina, tell guard you are going with East Wind and he will let you in. Turn left and continue along that drive. Pass the building and fountain on your right, and keep going until you see the East Wind sign indicating to park on the grass/stones on the left.

After you park and lock your car, head on down to the boat slips – you will see the East Wind boats and kiosk. If you haven’t already, you’ll need to pay for your tickets and then pick your dinner choices. There are about 10 things to choose from, which vary from Puerto Rican favorites, some Mexican options and, of course, the ever present hamburgers and cheeseburgers. But more on the food later.

Once the captain gives the OK, you may board the vessel. There were about 20 people on this trip, so they used the larger of their two catamarans. Inside, it was clean and bright, with tables and cushioned benches to sit on.

We had a 3 person crew: the Captain and 2 mates, Levi and Arturo. They offer you beverages right away and once you get underway (about 5:15pm) , they start with the rum drinks. Unlimited soft drinks, juices and rum drinks are all included in the price of the trip. The Pina Coladas and rum punches were good, but you could get rum in any soda or juices they had. They also offered 3 different beers, but these were $2 each.

The catamaran had 2 bathrooms with marine heads, which were clean. It is an experience using a marine head, especially on a moving boat in rough seas! You might want to wait until you get to the restaurant!

The Trip Over

Their power catamaran is fast. It took only about 45 minutes to get over to Vieques, about half the time it takes for the passenger ferry to cover the same distance. I was hoping for a nice smooth crossing where we could sit outside and watch the sunset and the scenery (there are a few small islands that you pass along the way). But that night the weather was not cooperative. It was windy and raining, so we had to stay inside. But once underway, we were all glad Levi told us to stay inside, since the wind was kicking up waves and water up over the front of the boat. But for such bad waves/wind, it was really a pretty smooth ride. We did have one casualty – a baby got seasick and spit up, but Levi cleaned it up quickly and efficiently.

Ray tends to get seasick, so he took Dramanine before we left home, just in case. This might be a good precaution for others with the same problem.

Dinner on Vieques

Once you dock on Vieques, you get onto a waiting taxi and they drive you across Vieques to the restaurant. The guides from East Island talked about Vieques along the way- very interesting. It was still light out so we could see the scenery and the wild horses at the beaches.

Within about 10 minutes, you get to the restaurant. It was open air and very efficient. It is run by Island Adventures, the same people that operate the biobay tour. The food and soft drinks came right away. The food was good and everyone enjoyed their meals. I got the stuffed yucca mofongo, and Ray got the chicken with onion and veggies, with rice and beans on the side. Both were tasty. People that got the Mexican entrees complimented the chef about their food. There wasn’t any dessert (:-(. You could get a drink from the bar if you wanted, but that is not included.

The restaurant had clean bathrooms. Use them, as they are the last you will see until you get back onto the catamaran about 1.5 hours later. Also, if you don’t have your swim suit on, change here. You really need to experience this first hand in the water. There is also a gift shop at the restaurant.

After eating, they give you a brief talk about the biobay and then you get onto this old school bus and head off for your tour. You are on this BOUNCY bus ride through the dark for about 15 minutes until you arrive at the biobay. They have this all timed really well. We arrived, got off the bus while the tour before ours was just getting off the boat and onto our bus.

To the Biobay

Once you get off the bus, you get onto this flat electric pontoon boat and ride into the bay. They use electric motors, so it eco-friendly and extremely quiet. You can notice the glow around the boat immediately. The organisms glow when they are disturbed, so the wake of the boat glows. It looks almost fake, like there must be light on under the pontoon boat. Another cool thing is when the fish in the bay are frightened by our boat, they swim off and leave a glowing trail behind them. Really neat!

They stop the boat in a nice dark section of the bay and the crew tells you about the bay, mangroves and the dinoflagellates (those are the organisms that make the bay glow). The guys on the boat are knowledgeable and interesting. After a brief orientation, you don a flotation belt and climb down the ladder into the water.

I really think you must go swimming. Even if you hadn’t planned on it, do it. One guy in our group who hadn’t planned on swimming dropped his pants and went swimming in his underwear! It really is that remarkable. The glow around you when you move is really neat. But the part I liked the best are the sparkles that appeared on your arms and chest as you just stayed still. Like pixie dust, or little lights all over you. Beautiful!

They give you about 20 – 30 minutes to swim. The water is not too cold – between 75F – 85F degrees, and it is about 12 feet deep. They make everyone wear the flotation belt. Even if you can’t swim, you can just go in and bob around (with a few flotation belts, I bet it would be impossible to sink!). It is really worth the effort. Remember to bring a towel to dry off when you get out.

We tried getting pictures and even through the glow is very bright, we weren’t able to get any useful photos. I don’t think anyone on board was successful. If you have a digital camera, you should set it to ISO 1200 or higher, turn the flash off, and set it for a long (4 or more seconds) exposure. But because the boat is moving, any picture you get will probably be blurred anyway.

After our swim, Mother Nature was nice to us and cleared some of the clouds away and the crew showed us the different constellations. On a clear night this must be fantastic. It was nice and dark in the bay area, so you should be able to see tons of stars. The crew also brought around a handful of mud from the bottom of the bay. This is some disgusting smelling stuff, but it is full of vitamins and minerals. You could give yourself a facial with it if you wanted, and could get past the smell!

After looking at the stars, they take you back to shore. There you get onto the BOUNCY bus which takes you back to the taxis, which take you back to the catamaran, and your waiting crew, for the ride home and more rum drinks. Bring dry clothes and change in the catamaran bathroom before heading off toward Fajardo. You will be more comfortable. The way back is usually smoother and seems so much faster. We were back in Fajardo in a quick 30 minutes, and our evening of fun was over. It was about 10:15pm.

The Details

Let me reiterate my thoughts: Yes, this tour is more expensive than kayaking in the Fajardo biobay. But if this is a once in a lifetime experience, I would make the trip to the Vieques biobay. I think it really is better than Fajardo. This tour from Fajardo is the only way you can see the Vieques biobay without spending the night on Vieques.

They run trips 4 or 5 nights per week, except nights before and after full moon. Check our moon calendar and make sure you go on a moonless night. I really applaud East Island and Island Adventures for not scheduling trips when the moon is not right. They want to make sure that you really will have the best experience possible.

The cost of the trip is $109.00 (plus tax) per person. That includes the catamaran between Fajardo and Vieques, taxi to/from the biobay, dinner in Vieques, the biobay tour itself, and drinks on board the catamaran.

If you're happy, let them know it — Don't forget to tip your your bartender, tour guide or trip operator if you enjoyed yourself. Gratuities are appreciated and typically aren't included in the price they charge you.

They run tours most nights of the week and depart from the marina in Fajardo around 5:00pm.

You need to make reservations ahead of time. They need at least 12 people on a trip, so unless they get that many reservations for the night you want to go, it may be canceled. This happened once to us before we could make the trip. Just be a little flexible with dates.

Allow 5 to 6 hours total.

You can call them at 787-860-3434 for more information.

You can visit their website at www.EastWindCats.com

Directions to the marina: From the San Juan area, take Route 3 or Route 66 east. Continue on Route 3 east to Fajardo. Just as Route 3 merges with Route 53, you’ll see an exit sign for Puerto del Rey marina. Take that exit, cross under Route 53 and follow the road to the marina on your left. Please note that if you get to the toll booth on Route 53 then you have missed the exit.

East Island offers transportation to/from the marina at an additional cost

Travel time from the San Juan area to the marina is about 60 to 90 minutes, depending on traffic and the route taken (Route 66 versus Route 3).

You can locate the marina on our Interactive Island Map