The Luminous Waters of Phosphorescent Bay
One of the major attractions on the island is Mosquito Bay, also called Phosphorescent Bay, with its glowing waters produced by tiny bioluminescent organisms. These organisms dart away from boats, leaving eerie blue-white trails of phosphorescence. The Vieques Times wrote: "By any name the bay can be a magical, psychedelic experience and few places in the world can even come close to the intensity of concentration of the dinoflagellates called pyrodiniums (whirling fire). They are tiny (1/500-in./.13cm) swimming creatures that light up like fireflies when disturbed but nowhere are there so many fireflies. Here a gallon of bay water may contain almost three-quarters of a million." The ideal time to tour is on a cloudy, moonless night. If the moon is shining on a cloudless night, you can save your money as you'll see almost nothing. Some boats go, full moon or not. You should wear a bathing suit because it's possible to swim in these glowing waters.
Island Adventures (tel. 787/741-0720) operates trips in Phosphorescent Bay aboard Luminosa. These trips are not offered around the time of the full moon. The charge is $30, and most jaunts last about 2 hours. A similar tour on a kayak that also costs $30 is offered by Blue Caribe Kayak (call tel. 787/741-2522 for details).
Seeing the Sights
Fort Conde de Mirasol Museum, Barriada Fuerte at Magnolia 471 (tel. 787/741-1717), is the major man-made attraction on the island. In the 1840s, Count Mirasol convinced the Spanish government to build a defensive fortress here. Today the carefully restored fort houses a museum of art and history celebrating the story of Vieques. There are Indian relics, displays of the Spanish conquest, and old flags of the Danes, British, and French. The French sugar-cane planters and their African slaves are depicted, and there's even a bust of the great liberator Simón Bolivar, who once visited Puerto Rico. A unique collection of maps shows how the world's cartographers envisioned Vieques. The museum and fort are open Wednesday to Sunday 8:30am to 4:20pm. Admission is $2, or free for ages 11 and under.
A New Day for Vieques Wildlife Refuge
On May 1, 2003, the U.S. Navy transferred 15,500 acres (6,273 hectares) -- often the best beachfront property -- to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which added them to the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge. This is now the largest landmass of its kind in the Caribbean. Refuge lands lie on both the eastern and western ends of Vieques. In 2001, 3,100 acres (1,255 hectares) on the western end were already turned over to the refuge. These tracts of virgin landscape contain several ecologically distinct habitats, including the island's best white sandy beaches along with upland forests and mangrove wetlands, the latter the habitat of some endangered species such as the sea turtle, the manatee, and the brown pelican. Binocular-bearing bird-watchers also flock to the site. The coastal area of the refuge is characterized by coral reef and sea-grass beds. Within the refuge the best beaches are Red Beach and Blue Beach, both open to the public. The refuge is open to the public and also contains a Visitor Center at Vieques Office Park, Rd. 200 Km 0.4 (tel. 787/741-2138). The refuge is open 7 days a week during daylight hours (naturally, closings are earlier in winter because of the shorter days).
