Seeing sea sparks or bioluminescence plankton had been on my wish list for years. Not like you can see it here on the Belgian coast (that must be special too, don’t get me wrong), but I really wanted to swim in it, because that would be so special, according to some.
On Isla Holbox, we had a chance, but it was a full moon at the time. And when it was almost there in Thailand, food poisoning threw a spanner in the works. Fortunately, it turned out that this extraordinary natural phenomenon could also be admired in Bocas del Toro, so we got a second chance!
Spoiler alert: IT EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS! How special this was!
An experience I would never have wanted to miss and am happy to share with you. So I tell you all about this tour, and how you can book it yourself!
What is sea sparkle or bioluminescence plankton?
Sea sparkle, or bioluminescence plankton, actually amount to a light show in the sea. Now you may be thinking of some kind of Northern Lights in the water. And yes, it does have some similarities, but it is still very different 😉
This light show is caused by plankton that gives light when it moves, thanks to a chemical reaction. That motion can be the waves themselves, but also objects, for example.
On Bocas del Toro, there are two types of plankton that give bioluminescence: phytoplankton, a type of mini-algae, and zooplankton, a species of animal. The latter is much less known and you won’t find it in most places.
Where and when can you see sea sparkle in Bocas del Toro?
To see sea sparkle, it must be pitch black. So somewhere without too much light pollution and with little moonlight. Therefore, it is useless to look for this around full moon. During the days before and after new moon you will be fine.
In Bocas del Toro you don’t see sea sparkles on the beach, you have to go there by boat, and thus book a tour.
We planned our stay on Bocas del Toro around new moon and soon I found several organizations offering this tour. But which one do you choose? I decided to go for the one that seemed to have the most expertise: Kawi Voyage. And that turned out to be a good choice.
The photos in this article were not taken on Bocas del Toro. You can’t capture the sea spark here on camera. The photos do illustrate what it roughly looks like, although it is much more special in “real life. In places where you see sea sparkle in the waves, you can capture it via a slower shutter speed. But so that is not the case in Panama. Above all, don’t let that spoil the fun, because it really is a WONDERFUL experience that you want to experience right here!
The bioluminescence tour in Bocas del Toro: our experience
In Bocas Town, on the main island of Colon, we meet our guide and the rest of the group. There are ten of us, I think. Life jacket on and sail off into the dark!
The guide tells us that during the tour we will see two species of luminescent plankton. We will stop in a total of three places, exciting!
Marine spark #1: Phytoplankton responding to movement
After about 15 minutes of sailing, we stop under an insanely beautiful starry sky. Here lives phytoplankton, tiny microalgae that will respond to our movements. This is the most common type of sea spark, which you can see in many places around the world.
I go into the water with my hand, and how cool is this. Small flashes of light appear around my hand. The guide explains this phenomenon and then passes a paddle. We may all hit the water once. WOW. Where the paddle hits the water there are flashes of light, it looks like a waterfall full of sparklers. You can compare it to the photo above. Very special this.
The engine restarts and we sail away, leaving behind a stream of bioluminescence.
Sea sparkle number 2: Zooplankton responding to light
While enjoying a beautiful starry sky, we sail to a place with the rare zooplankton. These larger organisms – small animals actually, respond to a specific type of light.
The water lights up, the guide shines his lamp on the water. We anxiously await what will happen. He turns off the lamp, and then we see countless “luminous spheres” – or whatever you can call it. Because they stick together, they also look a bit like tubes.
The guide compares the sight to an underwater city, and I understand the comparison. Countless small lights, a metropolis of bioluminescence. How is this even possible? How cool nature is!
We are not allowed to put our hands in the water this time. In fact, there are also small jellyfish here, which the guide points out to us not much later. And those little jellyfish also appear to give off some light! The guide explains that these jellyfish also fall under the category of zooplankton. Bioluminescence is a reaction to protect itself. Protect? How then? The brightest part of the sea is the surface, this is due to the light of the moon. So the jellyfish “camouflages” itself with the light and thus pretends to be moonlight! Another tactic, of a different kind of jellyfish, is to use the bioluminescence to surprise the predator, giving it time to escape. Cool how nature works!
For us, at least, the evening can’t go wrong. It’s just cool to experience this once! Not knowing that the climax is yet to come….
The absolute highlight: swimming in bioluminescent plankton
We sailed a little more and then arrived at a spot where both zooplankton and phytoplankton could be seen.
This is the moment. We may enter the water. And although I really wanted this beforehand, we both hesitate. It is pitch dark and we cannot see through the water. It is not very enticing, I must confess.
Everyone on the boat seems to hesitate. And then two people jump into the water.
The guide shines his lamp toward the people in the water, telling them that when the light goes out, they should look underwater with their snorkel. He turns off the lights and we see a beautiful light show. Super fun to see, nice and dry from the boat. I try to capture it again with my iPhone, but I only see some dots, sorry.
The boy in the water keeps shouting “woooow.” But really non-stop. The FOMO kicks in. Really hard.
Is it perhaps more special in the water than we see here after all? Shit, we’re just going to do this!
Fortunately, we are prepared for this; we have swimwear on. We get a snorkel and jump into the water together.
WOOOOOWWWWW, this is soooo cool!!!! Like I’m in a hallucinatory trip, unimaginable this. We just swim in a fairy tale and I conjure magic!
My whole body gives sparks, electricity-like shapes, it really looks like magic. And between my supermagic movements, I see luminous pearls swimming past me. It is literally enjoying every second now. What fun is this!
Underwater, I try to make little hearts to Denis with moving arms, but Denis doesn’t see it, he’s just also rock hard enjoying this special scene.
Believe me, this experience is very difficult to describe. Magical is the word that fits it best, but is actually not powerful enough. You must have the same experience to understand this!
Finally we have to get out of the water; the tour is over. We are both quiet, busy processing this beautiful experience. We step into a club in Bocas Town, but after one drink I just want to get back to our accommodation which is in the countryside. For of nature I am heavily impressed, how beautiful it is….
Read tip: extraordinary stays on Bocas del Toro
Also have this magical experience?
Kawi Voyage’s guides have over 10 years of experience! They know the best places and times to see the bioluminescence plankton. The guide did not just take us to these special places, he really told us a lot about this extraordinary natural phenomenon, which does show that he has an enormous amount of expertise. In addition, the tour also felt incredibly safe, which makes us really recommend this organization.
Don’t forget this if you want to see bioluminescence plankton in Bocas del Toro
- Make sure you go around new moon. Maximum one week before or after new moon.
- Put on swimwear and bring a towel. Yes, get in the water, really do it. You don’t want to miss this experience.
- Bring a waterproof bag for on the boat so your goodies don’t get wet.
- If you book through Kawi Voyage (do!), they give you snorkels to use.
- Leave your camera in your accommodation, you really can’t capture it here, unfortunately. Enjoy with your eyes!
More info about this tour with Kawi Voyage
- The price is $30 per person.
- The tour normally starts at 8 p.m. and ends around 10 p.m. Times may vary depending on the moon. For example, when the moon becomes visible at 9 p.m., they leave as early as 7 p.m. so it is pitch black.
- Departure is from Bocas Town on Colon Island, but you can also be picked up on other islands.
You can book this tour through Kawi Voyage’s website or send them a WhatsApp.
Are you booking a tour with another organization? Then we can’t guarantee you’ll get the same, great experience 😉
We are curious about your experience! Was seeing sea spark also so special to you? Let us know in the comments!
