tel: 1-345-746-3249  |   cell: 1-345-926-4467  |   e-mail: tom@caymankayaks.com
These tour sell out one week in advance so please book ahead to avoid dissapointment Kayaking at night in the Cayman Islands Financial Times By Jane Owen It is a moonless Caribbean night and, apart from a few twinkling stars, the only light comes from the sea immediately around our four kayaks. The boats have a halo of pale gold and leave shimmering trails in their wake. Every time our paddles lift out of the water they drip molten gold as if they’d been touched by a watery Midas. Old men who once fished for silversides and sprats here, or dried sharkskins along the shore to make sandpaper, know all about this magical, monthly light show. But visitors to the Cayman Islands rarely get to hear about it, let alone experience it. Bioluminescence, or light created by plants and creatures, occurs all over the world but rarely in such spectacular concentration. We plunge our hands and feet into the sea and watch tiny spangles of light illuminate our skin. Silence has fallen on our chattering group of eight, awestruck by the underwater fireworks. A splash shatters the peace. Tom Watling, our young Cayman guide on this night-time adventure, has dived into the sea. He is shining like a Renaissance angel in flight, somersaulting downwards until we can no longer see him. Suddenly he reappears in a burst of light on the far side of our kayaks. Shaking spangles of water out of his hair, he tells us about the alien world below, where dinoflagellates – tiny plants that obtain energy from sunlight and then, in darkness, emit light in response to movement in the water, thus creating bioluminescence – bounced explosions of light against his eyeballs. “I once scuba-dived here with a friend,” says 24-year-old Watling, who set up Cayman Kayaks in 2005. “We took off our masks and sat quietly on the sea floor. Every time we blinked we could see sparkles coming off each other’s eyelashes.” He first came across bioluminescence aged 14. “I threw a coconut in the water,” he recalls. “It splashed glowing water up into the air and back down again, making ripples of sparkles. Fish shot about under the water like shooting stars.” The Cayman Islands – made up of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman – boast some of the best diving in the world, and wildlife riches ranging from rare blue iguanas and ghost orchids to bioluminescence. Yet few people seek out these treasures. Most visitors stay at Seven Mile Beach, where white sands and dazzling blue sea meet American-style hotels, cocktail bars and nightclubs. Journey beyond those worldly pleasures and the islands offer another kind of wildlife. I had already discovered the subtle pleasures of mangrove snorkelling in the waters around Grand Cayman, where sea horses drift in a lush forest of underwater greenery. But it wasn’t until last November that I heard about bioluminescence. I flew into Grand Cayman from neighbouring Cuba and drove straight from the airport to meet Watling. No one is certain why bioluminescence is so bright in a few pockets of sea such as this one but factors include proximity to red mangroves, high light levels and low water movement. The chemical process behind bioluminescence is similar throughout the natural world, from fireflies to glowing mushrooms. That much is understood but less is known about the reasons for marine bioluminescence. The most popular theory is that the light attracts large fish in order to prey on the smaller fish that are feeding on the dinoflagellates. Either way, bioluminescence makes such a breathtaking display that I join a trip for a second night running. The moon has grown to a slim crescent, making it more difficult to see the light – in theory, at least – which is why these tours happen just once or twice a month. In practice, however, I find that the show is brighter second time round. The colours are still gold and yellow – not the blue that many people describe. Sightings of green and red are also quite common. Shoals of fish zip through the water, creating sparkling underwater streaks. Below them I can see a large, glowing rectangular shape circling slowly around the sea bed. A ray, probably. The quality of the luminescence varies. Sometimes it scatters stars along our hands, feet and paddles. Sometimes it creates clouds of light that leave trails across the bay for a minute or so before vanishing back into darkness. I would like to dive into this cooling fire but Watling asks us not to. Too many bodies in the water – with all their attendant bug spray and body lotions – could upset the dinoflagellates. A couple of miles away, a massive conventional firework display lights up the sky. It’s a local festival, a Caribbean fête with bands, food and partying through the night. But our marine fireworks win the day and we return to sea-gazing. As we peer down into the water a glittering lobster makes his way across the ocean floor. Watling looks at the creature and says he can no longer eat lobster. I see what he means. Bioluminescence puts everything in a new light. Activity Rating: Short stretches of moderate paddling The check-in time will be confirmed based on availability in an e-mail once the information below is complete To hold your spot please provide:  name (please give name that hotel is booked with)  number in group  e-mail  Hotel  Room number  phone number (cellular preferred)  MC, VISA, DISCOVER only  credit card number  expiration date   Payment will be at check-in. Your card is on file to hold your space. Cancellation Policy:  When providing your credit card number you are accepting the charges of the cancellation policy  agreement.  Notice must be given 48 hours before the check-in. Failing to do so or "no shows" will result in a  full charge of $59 usd per person on the credit card that you provided. Arriving under the  influence of alcohol will be charged as a "no show" you will not be allowed to participate in the  tour. **NOTE**  240 lbs is our max weight per person. Directions to Cayman Kayaks night tour:  Bodden Town driving East  Left turn on Frank Sound Road  Left bend on to North Side Road  Continue on to Rum Point drive  Rum Point on the right on Sand Point Road (Meet down on the beach next to the jet skis)    ** When coming from Seven Mile Beach allow 1.2 hours **  Attire: swim suit, t-shirt, sandals/water shoes/ flip-flops, towel  (Optional: mosquito repellent  Location - RUM POINT -(meet down on the beach by the jet skis)  (The washroom facilities in the rum point restaurant are not available for use)  Life vests are provided  Please refrain from drinking alcohol.   Rates November -July  Ages 13+ US $59  Ages 8-12 US $29 Summer Specials  Rates August - October  Ages 13+ US $50  Ages 8-12 US $25 Group Rate (ten)10+ $35kyd or $44usd per person FAQ frequently asked questions 1. do we get wet?  -yes, from your waist down.  bring a towel for afterwards 2. can we take picture?  -no pictures will not come out with any hand held camera. 3. what do we wear?  -swim suit, a t-shirt and flip-flops or sandals 4. are there bathrooms or change rooms?  -not at this time.  5. are there mosquitoes?  -only on the beach at check in.  they tend to leave us alone once on the water. 6. what kind of kayaks are they?  -wilderness systems T130.  double sit-on-top kayaks. 7. can i have my own kayak?  -at this time all of our kayaks are double kayaks. 8. what happens if I'm in an odd number group?  -you will be paired with the tour guide or another guest.  "if there are any questions that i missed please contact me: tom@caymankayaks.com"

Tour Dates + Times

Bioluminescence is the phenomenon where light or glow is created by internal chemical reaction in a living 
creature. Approximately 90% of all marine life creates bioluminescence to some degree. This is done to 
achieve different survival strategies which include mating, predator avoidance and feeding.

When a particular species of plankton concentrates in very high numbers in rare areas around the world, the 
results are stunning. This amazing phenomenon, found in only a dozen places worldwide, can be seen in 
Grand Cayman with Cayman Kayaks which offers tours to a bioluminescent bay from Rum Point.

There are three common characteristics of all bioluminescent bays:

- Little to low water exchange
- Sunlight
- Red Mangroves (Rhizaphora Mangle)

Little to low water exchange allows the bioluminescence to stay in high concentration in one area without 
getting flushed out by tides and wind. The Rum Point bioluminescent bay is facing West accessing a sheltered 
bay running North to South. In Grand Cayman the prevailing wind is East North East and this allows the 
bioluminescent bay to keep generally the same water at all times. There are 750 thousand to 1 million single 
celled organisms per gallon of water. 

Sunlight recharges the organism during the day. Each organism needs only 60 minutes to recharge each 
day.

Red Mangroves (Rhizaphora Mangle) are to be found in water and areas with high salinity and low oxygen. 
This plant designates one leaf to take all the salt. Every 7-15 days one leaf drops off the
plant and into the ocean, where it starts to decompose and excrete nutrients. Vitamin B12 is excreted from 
the leaves and provides the fuel or energy for the Pyrodinium Bahamense, the specie of bioluminescence
that is seen with Cayman Kayaks at Rum Point on the night kayak tour.

Inside the organism there are two main chemicals, luciferins (the term is used generically to refer to any 
light-emitting molecule utilized by a luciferase or photoprotein) and Luciferase (a generic term for the class 
of oxidative enzymes). The energy from the sun during the day is stored and then is used at night.  The enzyme 
gets excited this results in a stunning display of natural underwater lights.

    Cayman Kayaks run bioluminescent tours from Rum Point minutes after sunset 
    Monday – Sunday. 
    Please check our calendar above for tour dates which follow the lunar cycle.

My Mission

I have continually merged my professional goals with my environmental concerns. 
The realization that I have had the rare opportunity to integrate my profession with my personal
ideology has enabled me to maintain my enthusiasm even during the difficult periods of my career.

My greatest concerns center on the earth's inability to cope with the rapid human assault on its wildlife. 
Loss of habitat to commercial development coupled with human indifference towards the environment 
has deteriorated our quality of life, while allowing precious wildlife to slip into the history books.

My mission is to be a positive force in curbing these losses. Through the various activities I attempt to 
instill a sense of appreciation towards the total environment. I encourage my visitors to escape, 
if only temporarily, from their human made confines to experience a bonding with the earth on 
an intimate basis. Through a close and personal encounter with a wild place, I believe people can 
be made aware of their connection to the natural world.

It is with this mission that I devote my professional energies. To me, eco-tourism is the marriage 
of an altruistic mission to an economic model. The union of mission and model produces "sustainable tourism" 
which is critical to providing hope for many species and ecosystems throughout Cayman and the World.
Important also is that a career in eco-tourism provides a platform for "responsible capitalism". 
encouraging and promoting responsible capitalism is essential if we are to
maintain a viable, biologically diverse planet in the future.

Thomas Lawrence Watling