There are only a few places in the world where bioluminescence can be seen year round. And luckily for travelers to the Nicoya Peninsula there is one such place here. Bioluminescence is a light created by living organisms through a chemical reaction, biological light.

In the gulf it is the algae that create this magical effect. Upon being disturbed, the algae give off a burst of light. Since there are millions of them it looks like sparkles in the water. The wavelengths are in the blue to green area and depending on the amount of algae it will appear as bluish or greenish sparkles.

One of the best ways to see this phenomenon is to get a look from above, and kayaking is a great way to see it well. The algae will stick to your paddle, your hand or floating debris glowing for many seconds if you encounter a strong patch. When you kayak over shallow areas, fish will be scared up and it looks like fireworks under water as they take off, leaving a trail of “fairy dust” in their wake.