Imagine kayaking through a glowing sea of stars. That’s what it’s like to go on a bioluminescent kayaking tour! Each paddle brings more sparkles, and it’s such a magical experience.

Our first bioluminescence tour was in Miami nearly a decade ago. We’ve reminisced about it often, and we both agree it was one of our favorite tours we’ve done. Since it’s possible to see bioluminescence here at home, we thought it was time to give it a try in Washington! The experience, although colder, was just as impressive a second time around.

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What is bioluminescence

All kinds of animals are bioluminescent, but the bioluminescence we see in the ocean is from an algae bloom of plankton.

It usually glows blue and is brightest when it’s been agitated from paddles, boats, currents, waves, and rain. The cause of algae bioluminescence is unknown, but scientists suspect it’s to confuse prey, attract prey, or lure mates. Washington’s bioluminescence is safe to touch, but this isn’t always the case everywhere.

It’s difficult to capture photos of the bioluminescence — to be done well, it would have to be done from shore with long exposures. The images showing it below, are only a fraction of what we were able to see.

Where can you see bioluminescence?

Bioluminescence can be seen in the ocean throughout the world! In Washington state, the bays along the Puget Sound make for an excellent place to kayak and view bioluminescence. It can be harder to see from the shore, but we’ve seen it faintly glowing on waves as they break onto shore, too.

When can you see bioluminescence in Washington?

June through September

Algae blooms of plankton begin in the warmer months when high concentrations of nutrients and sunlight promote growth. In Washington, this happens between late spring and early fall.

How much bioluminescence you’ll see is unpredictable, but you can better your odds by going during a full moon and visiting locations with little light pollution.

On our tour, the bioluminescence was brightest near the shore, under the shade of trees. Some locations were more active than others, so we stopped to splash with our paddles whenever we were in an especially active spot.

Bioluminescence kayaking tours

You don’t need to have any kayaking experience to enjoy these tours. Guides will give you instructions before launching, and you can find instructions on how to paddle here. If you’re nervous about kayaking, try to be one of the first in your group to get in the water so you’ll have time to practice before the tour begins. You’ll get the hang of it quickly!

All tours provide and require participants to wear life jackets. You will also have a light on your kayak and be given a headlamp to use if you don’t own one. Most, if not all, of these tours use double kayaks. The stronger person should sit in the back of the kayak.

Book a tour

You’ll find bioluminescent kayaking tours throughout Washington. Consider booking a tour with the following guides:

San Juan Islands

Friday Harbor

Eastsound

Shearwater Kayaks

Whidbey Island

Anacortes

Anacortes Kayak Tours

Langley

Whidbey Island Kayaking

Olympic Peninsula

Brinnon

Hood Canal Adventures

Marrowstone Island

Olympic Kayak Adventures

Kitsap Peninsula

Port Gamble

Olympic Outdoor Center

Bellingham

On a budget? The Olympic Outdoor Center on the Kitsap Peninsula offers the cheapest tour (this is the one we went on and loved), with the Community Boating Center in Bellingham being the second most affordable option.

What to wear

It’s chilly at night, and you will get wet! Wearing the right clothing will have a huge impact on your experience.

Footwear

Sandals (men’s/women’s) or water shoes (men’s/women’s)

You’ll be launching from a sandy or rocky beach and your feet will probably get wet.

Clothing

Base layers

Tops (men’s/women’s)

¾ length bottoms (men’s/women’s)

Quick dry clothing

Long sleeve shirt (men’s/women’s)

Rolled up pants (men’s/women’s)

Outer shells

Raincoat (men’s/women’s)

Rain pants (men’s/women’s)

Rain pants are optional, but worth it! Meghann had these and was dry throughout the tour while Zach’s quick dry pants were wet by the end of the ride.

Meghann rolled her rain pants up and down to enter and exit the kayak.

Accessories

Warm hats

Baseball cap

We love wearing baseball caps in the rain — they keep the rain off your face!

Dry bag or box

Stash keys, phones, and cameras where they’ll stay dry. You can also use a doubled up Ziploc bag or raincoat pocket (if you trust that you won’t fall in!).

Dangling toy

The Olympic Outdoor Center suggested bringing a dangling toy for kids to play with and we’d highly recommend this! Make sure the toy dangles by a foot or two (so they don’t have to reach too far and risk falling in) and that it can handle being dragged in the water.