Bioluminescence is the stuff of legends. Seeing living creatures – microscope ones, to boot! – emitting visible light is a legitimately mind-blowing experience. Prior to moving to the Bay Area, I never experienced bioluminescence in person. But it wasn’t long after purchasing our kayaks that we started hearing stories about what it was like to be out on the water, surrounded by the faint glow emitted by plankton living in the seawater. Our friends regaled us with tales of splashing their paddles in the water, creating sparkles across the surface as if the paddle was a magic wand. Before long, my excitement got the better of me, and I knew that I had to experience the bioluminescence for myself!
The first question was how to experience this marvel! We asked around, did some research on Google, and even contacted Point Reyes National Seashore (at Bear Valley Visitor’s Center) for more detailed information. Most of what we found out was pretty obvious, but there were a few surprises in store. We opted to paddle over to a beach on the Point Reyes Peninsula and camp there, enabling us to have the entire night to experience the mystical glow of the water!
We’ll tackle the most important details categorically below.
There are a number of places up and down the California coast where you can experience the glow of bioluminescence. The most powerful light and most well-known locations in the Bay Area are concentrated in and around Point Reyes Seashore and Tomales Bay State Park, both along the Pacific Coastline and within the more sheltered (and safer to paddle) Tomales Bay.
Located about an hour north of downtown San Francisco, Tomales Bay is a very long, narrow inlet of ocean water, framed by Point Reyes Peninsula to the west and the mainland to the east. If you’re driving up from the San Francisco Bay area and you have the extra time, I strongly recommend taking the Pacific Coast Highway (Shoreline Drive) instead of US-101. Not only will you avoid potentially crushing traffic delays, you are going to be absolutely stunned by the natural beauty of what is easily one of the greatest back roads in the country!
I digress. Bioluminescence in the Pacific waters requires impact or strong motion, so that limits where and how you can experience it. Bioluminescence is most plainly visible in two places: in the crashing waves along the coastline, or out on the water in Tomales Bay. The Bay is sheltered enough from the violence of the coastal current that its waves are tiny – often non-existent without wind, actually – so the primary way to experience the natural glow there is to paddle out into it.
Because our experience was in Tomales Bay and in our kayaks, that’s going to be the only topic I cover here.
At night!
In all seriousness, aside from the obvious answer above, the best time of year to see the bioluminescence in Tomales Bay is during the late summer and early fall. The months from July through October are traditionally when the plankton are the most active, though they can be visible year-round. Conditions of water and weather generally cooperate most during the aforementioned months, not least because the dense fog that the Bay Area is so famous for helps to wipe out most of the minimal ambient light in the area.
In addition, because the plankton put off such a relatively dim light, the best time each month is to go during the 6 day window surrounding the New Moon. As I quickly found out while learning how to take pictures of the night sky, even a relatively small sliver of moonlight can completely wash out the stars in the sky. The same is true of bioluminescence – virtually any light, whether from the moon, from flashlights or headlamps etc, will eliminate your ability to see the light on the water. Thus your best bet is to plan your trip around the New Moon schedule.
On my first attempt kayaking out in the bay at night, at roughly 9pm or so, I did not see any bioluminescence at all. It wasn’t until my second attempt, at roughly 10:30pm, that I witnessed the bioluminescence firsthand. I’m not sure if there’s anything to that timing, but if there’s anything to be learned here, it’s that you should not give up if you don’t see anything at first. Wait another hour or two and try again – and keep your headlamps on red light only! Any green, blue, or white light will ruin your ability to see the bioluminescence.
The beach campsites along the inner shores of Tomales Bay will often book weeks or even months in advance for peak bioluminescence season. So if you’re planning to spend the night out on the Bay, be sure to plan ahead!
Before I dive into the topic of camping on Tomales Bay, there are a few caveats I would like to express upfront:
Now that we’ve gotten the unpleasant parts out of the way, let’s dive into the more important information!
In order to camp on the beach in Tomales Bay, you must first go to the Recreation.gov website in order to reserve your boat-in camping space. This can be quite confusing to do, even if you’re experienced at making National Park camping reservations. There are a few things to know ahead of time before trying to make your reservation:
A few other critical items to be aware of while preparing for your boat-in adventure:
Even though Tomales Bay is only roughly one mile wide, you will be battling against the ever-changing current, paddling a heavily-laden boat and potentially fighting against rough winds and choppy seas. You need to be a strong, experienced paddler to attempt to camp on Tomales Bay. Mother Nature can be quite unforgiving – do not give her any opportunities to ruin your experience by going unprepared!
Check the NPS website for updates, information and closures before you go. If no one in your group has camped on Tomales Bay before, please be sure to ask the staff at Bear Valley to give you a map and show you where you can and cannot camp. It can be confusing once you’re out on the water, so be sure to study the map ahead of time to know where you want to go!
Be prepared to have your mind blown.
Sadly, I will not be able to show you what it looked like to us that night. We tried several different techniques, but could not manage to get the bioluminescence to show up, neither in pictures nor video. So you’ll just have to get out there and see it for yourself. In a way, I’m glad for this, because any photos or videos we managed would not nearly capture the insanity of witnessing – and creating – bioluminescence firsthand.
That said, it’s well worth the intense effort you’re likely going to put into experiencing it.
Though many other write-ups describe the bioluminescence as being light blue, what we saw that night was more yellow in color. Its glow was very reminiscent of highlighter ink illuminated by a black light. The more motion there was on the surface of the water, the brighter and more visible it was. When kayaking, the wake of our boats would light up, as would the water disturbed by the ends of our paddles. We spent a lot of time just splashing around, making different patterns and shapes in the water with the ends of our paddles. If you skimmed the top of the water just right, it created a wild sparkling effect that reminded me of Tinkerbell’s Pixie Dust.
If you have any questions, you can always feel free to email me! I’m happy to help you explore and experience the magic of California and Bay Area. I hope that you enjoy your time out on the water, and wish you the best of luck in witnessing bioluminescence!
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