Blue Caribe Kayaks

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
If I could have given it 0 stars I would. We signed up for the bio bay ‘tour’ with an available time of 12.30 am. We should have known better, finding out after that all reputable companies go between 6pm to 12am. After the tour ‘guide’ Rebecca arrived late, we travelled to the bay. To our dismay, we were only in the water 5 mins when the rangers arrived. They informed us that the company we signed up (blue caribe kayak) did NOT have a permit to take us into the water. This is a necessary caution that the island takes to protect the natural habitat of the biobay. We were NOT informed that blue caribe lacked a permit to operate tours in the biobayl, and were very disappointed. Most of us travelled to Vieques just to see experience the biobay, and unfortunate for us, we choose the wrong company. AVOID at all costs. Don’t spend a penny here for anything.

We were in Vieques during the reduced Bio Bay Tours period — tours on the weekends only. We did, however, rent a kayak for the day from Blue Caribe. It was odd. I spoke with the manager on the phone & she quoted us $ 35/​day for a double kayak. When we showed up the employee said «no, that’s not the right price.» When we explained that the manager had said this he agreed, but then went back & forth with himself, trying to decide if he wold give us the kayak. He eventually did.
The reason I am giving BCK only 2 stars is for the kayaks themselves. NO back rests at all, and the seats are way too close together. DO NOT get a double kayak. It is impossible for 2 people to row, as you’ll constantly be hitting paddles no matter how synchronized you are. Also, with no back rest, it’s not easy to row!
We took the kayak out to Cayo Real, which as some very good snorkeling! We saw so many different fish, coral, rays, etc. We spent hours there!

Night kayaking through the Mosquito Bay and mangroves was definitely one of the highlights of my PR trip.
Because greeted my boyfriend and I at the entrance where you begin your trip to the bay. Don’t be alarmed, the road to the bay was bumpy, but ultimately it’s a part of the experience. Samir was our informative and welcoming guide. Samir is an excellent driver and should definitely be commended for his driving through the roads! Samir was kind enough to stop to the side and let us try fresh tamarindo! Becca and Samir both spoke English which may be comforting to others who don’t understand Spanish. To sum it all up, this place rocks!
Adds: Bring a smile, clothes you don’t mind getting wet, and some ready arms! Do not wear bug repellent with deet; it will kill off the dinoflagellates.

Bad experience last weekend. Tour started late, guides snapped at us, gave minimal instruction, led us across the entire bay fast, yelling at us (think really bad high school gym class, with Puerto Rican coaches). 10 minute group pause, where lead guide pointed out some stars/​constellations in the sky. More brisk kayaking to other corner of bay, then we got yelled at to hurry up and paddle quickly all the way across the bay again, back to start. Throughout all this, if you were one of the rear stragglers, you got a torrential dosage of chatter/​patter and exhortations from the rear guide, a seriously annoying character.
Amount of time getting jostled and knocked around in a worn-​out van on some of the bumpiest roads you’ll ever encounter: 20 minutes. Amount of time paddling with exertion and getting yelled at: one hour. Amount of time basking in the phosphorescent wonder of the bay: 0 to 10 minutes depending on whether you ignored the yelling.
The moon was out and was ¾ full, so there was not much bio-​luminescence to be enjoyed. And no swimming allowed. (All bio bay companies abide by this; in Aug 2011 a swimming bio-​bay tour participant received an ankle bite from a confused juvenile shark.) Fair enough. But still, the guides could made some effort to provide a quality experience, using the beautiful night we had. For example, my partner (who’d done a bio bay tour before) pointed out to me that I could put my hand in the water, slowly swirl it around, and see some glowing in its wake; that was a nice moment.
I hear that there are other bio bay touring companies on Vieques who provide a higher quality experience: they go only part-​way across the bay and they encourage you to really savor the experience. One company offers clear (see-​through) kayaks to enhance the experience; that company is more expensive than the others but might be well worth it. Bottom line: Pity we did not go with any other tour company, not this one. Learn from our mistake. This tour was our only bad experience in an otherwise wonderful 5 days on Vieques.

When you go to Vieques, you HAVE TO go to one of the bioluminiscent bays of the island.
Don’t be silly: don’t leave the island without going there. It’s a unique treat. There are only 12 in the world, 9 in Puerto Rico (the others are in India, Japan and Australia) and the ‘best’ one, the one which provides the best experience is here in Vieques.
In Mosquito Bay.
The name says it all — so don’t forget your repellent!
Blue Caribe in situated on the Malecon and gave us a great experience. For $ 35 per person you embark on to a two-​hour journey with a couple of guides and between 10 – 15 others. You meet at 6:30pm, chit-​chat while the guides load up the kayaks, drive to the bay and get busy. Don’t wear anything fancy — you will get wet and you will want to swim in the bay anyway. My advice: swim suit.
They will give you an elegant life jacket to complement it — it’s the latest in fashion down there. Don’t forget your camera!
(Actually — don’t take your camera unless it’s seriously waterproof. Besides it’s incredibly difficult to capture the entire show provided by Mother Nature. Relax and enjoy; the memories will stay with you forever)
You don’t need to be an expert in kayaking to enjoy this outing; no worries. It’s a lot of fun and a nice way to get a little active after a day of farniente on the beach. After about 15 minutes you stop in the middle of the bay, listen to your guide and jump in the water. It’s a magical experience. The water glows with each one of your movement thanks to its micro-​organisms which produce the same protein than fireflies. Since it’s a bay the water is really warm and saltier than the ocean. You just float there, moving like a maniac, laughing like a child until it’s time to climb back into your kayaks and drive back to Esperanza.
People were extremely friendly, helpful and accommodating. They had no problem taking care of a 79-​year old grandma who accompanied her family but didn’t want to swim with them.
Highly recommended.