![]() They were more likely to come from bombs dropped by Navy airplanes or lobbed by warships upon this sunbaked island between Puerto Rico and the U.S. We are stardust we are glow sticks.įor decades, however, such brilliant explosions weren’t so benign or entertaining on Vieques. Nearby, other ebullient swimmers bob on their backs and make phosphorescent water angels. With a breaststroke, the special effect makes my limbs look like neon-blue sea-turtle flippers a slicing sidestroke mutates an arm into a Star Wars–caliber light saber. While thousands of animals and plants, from anglerfish and sea stars to fireflies and fungi, have the ability to sparkle with their own light, the microorganisms of this obscure inlet produce nature’s most dramatic aura. So I take the plunge and suddenly find myself in a world made of liquid fire, where every movement sets off an eerie, glimmering reaction made by millions of bioluminescent plankton. The waters off Isla de Vieques feel as warm and comforting as a fleece robe. Far less gracefully, I cinch a safety flotation belt and lean from a boat ladder to dip a toe into this wondrous Caribbean bay. ![]() ![]() Fishing bats drop from a dark wall of mangroves and skim the bay’s still surface for prey, while night-feeding great blue herons stalk the shallows. A satellite burns across a big sky so spangled with stars that even I can pick out Saturn, Orion’s Belt, and the Seven Sisters.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |