Sombe (aka Sun Bay) and other Isla de Vieques, Puerto Rico Things to Do Tips

This is the public beach in Vieques, but I am not sure what that really means other than they have campsites because you can go on all the beaches, pretty much. This is the one with the most wild horses, though...so you need to be a bit careful when driving there in the evening or night. There are typically about 10 horses at any given time...more all around the island. The beach is very nice and close to a few others like Navio and also by Bio Bay, which I'll talk about in another tip.

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Directions: Heading into Esperanza, it's on the left near the green store

This is one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in my life. I never knew it even existed until I was reading about PR and this one is one of the best in the world. I found an explanation about what this is exactly--it's much better than how i can describe it:)

"The 'Bahia Fosforescente' (Phosphorescent Bay or Bioluminescent Bay) at Puerto Mosquito should be listed as the eighth natural wonder of the world. When the protozoans are being attacked, the movement in the water excites them resulting in a chemical reaction that produces light.

The light is produced when a chemical stored within the cell, luciferin, is combined with oxygen resulting in the release of energy in the form of pure light. The accumulation of the chemical peaks at night, and this is when the lights become more intense.

Several physical features of the Bay allow it's bioluminescence. One is the shallowness of the waters, the other is the presence of mangrove trees at the shores. Decomposing mangrove roots promote the concentration of bacteria in the water. These bacteria produce vitamin B12 which is an essential nutrient to the protozoan.

The Bay has a narrow exit to the sea allowing for the organisms to concentrate in its shallow refuge. It is the incredible concentration of these organisms what makes Vieques so unique"

There are lots of ways to see this--one is by boat that takes people out into the bay and you swim away from the shore where there's no light pollution, you can take kayaks out there (tours are at 6:30 and 8:30pm) or you can do what we did, and just go out on your own.

SERIOUSLY, I have never been more serious in any tip I've written...look at the pictures on the link. This is exactly how it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are tours that leave from the Malecon in Esperanza, a guy named Pooch runs the place.

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Address: Near Sun bay, Esperanza
Directions: Turn into sun bay and follow the dirt road (it's very bumpy) to Bio Bay or go sign up for a tour on the Malecon in Esperanza.
Website: http://www.biobay.com/

In Isabel Segunda, there's a beach that I don't know about swimming in (you can, it's clean, but the beach is rocky) but it's where all the sea glass washes up. Again, something about conditions like that of Bio Bay and the way the tides pull the rocks and glass in, but it's pretty neat. People come here to collect sea glass, so if you're into that, definitely check it out.
Also, when we were there, there were local fisherman who looked as though they were having quite a bit of success.

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Address: Isabel Segunda, on the water