The Bay That Glows
On a dark night in a Puerto Rican bay, every paddle stroke and every fish leaves a trail of blue-green light in the water.
What was reported
Mosquito Bay, on the island of Vieques, is often called the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world. On moonless nights, the water lights up wherever it's disturbed: kayakers leave glowing trails, raindrops make sparks, and fish dart through it like comets.
Spanish sailors are said to have thought the glow was the work of the Devil, and tried to block the bay.
Explanations offered
The light comes from tiny single-celled organisms called dinoflagellates, which flash when the water around them moves. The bay's narrow mouth, mangroves and warm, still water let them gather in huge numbers. It dimmed after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and has since recovered.
- When
- Every dark night
- Where
- Vieques, Puerto Rico
- Witnesses
- Visitors in kayaks at night
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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