By SOPHIE BONOMI
sbonomi@northkitsapherald.com
KINGSTON — The shimmering glow of the bioluminescent plankton found in some bodies of water draw in crowds to hot spots all over the world; some describe it as an underwater light show as the fluorescent waters create a surreal and magical effect.
But instead of traveling to the popular Blue Grotto of Malta or highly-visited Bio Bay in Puerto Rico, Kitsap residents should look no further than the Hood Canal, and areas like Appletree Cove to see this atmospheric oddity.
Beth Brewster, owner of Kingston Adventures provides night trips for adventures to kayak and paddle-board to tour glowing hot spots.
“It’s like magic,” Brewster said. “I would say every single person has been a surprised about what they’ve seen.”
And participants to the evening events aren’t the only ones who can see this phenomenon — according to NASA, a photo taken on Aug. 24 from their aqua satellite captured the height of the phytoplankton bloom in Hood Canal.
Just days earlier, Teri King from the Washington Sea Grant was driving along the Hood Canal and snapped a photo of the bloom during the day.
“It is hard to miss a bloom of this color,” she posted on Facebook. “We don’t see them often, but when we do it is remarkable.”
King was exploring the Hood Canal while providing a training for SoundToxins, a scientific monitoring program documenting unusual bloom events and new species entering the Salish Sea.
King determined the documented bloom was a Coccolithophore bloom from Quilcene to Lilliwaup.
The water, taking on a tropical blue-green appearance with white speckles, is due to the calcium carbonate that Coccolithophores have in their plates.
Bioluminescence is created by microscopic marine plants known as phytoplankton. Through a chemical reaction in the bodies of the phytoplankton, combined with heat and a dry spell, a light is formed.
Brewster said she’s been touring the summer blooms for years, but this year is by far the best, making this summer a prime time to witness the glowing spectacle before the rains sprinkle it all away.
“It’s one of the coolest things they’ll ever see… They have no idea they could get out there and touch and feel it, dip their paddle in there and make designs, then when they see the glowing fish it’s crazy.”
The darkness in the night light in the ocean, adventurists are encouraged to leave their technology behind. Even with a high-quality DSLR, it’s difficult to get a good shot.
“This is an experience where your totally detached from that fast moving digital world around them. Out there in the dark — on the water — it’s like a connection to nature you really can’t experience in any other way,” said Brewster.
“This is nature giving you its best possible show I think. There’s nothing else around you, just the best that nature has to offer,” she said.
Brewster said this year in particular, they sell out of the night paddles in an hour and a half.
“People are watching our Facebook page. Now for the first time ever, we’re selling out with repeat people,” she said. “I would say it’s definitely the coolest thing [we offer]. It’s becoming what we’re known for. We have people come from Olympia and Snoqualmie.”
Kingston Adventures said at least 315 participants have signed up for the night bio-boarding sessions this season so far, and it just keeps getting better.
“We have two big ones this week,” she said. “For the locals, this magic has been around them their whole life and they just never knew it. They attribute this to be one of the coolest things about where they live. It’s magical and it’s right here at our finger tips.”
To register for the bioluminescence tour watch for announcements on the Kingston Adventures Facebook page or visit their website at www.kingstonadventures.com.
