Gregory Scruggs: What it's like to go bioluminescent kayaking in the Salish Sea

SEATTLE — All that glitters is not gold. Sometimes, it's bioluminescent.

Every summer, when dinoflagellate plankton bloom throughout the Salish Sea, water glows an electric blue-green. But there's a critical component necessary to see this stunning natural phenomenon — something has to agitate the plankton to spark the chemical reaction.

One of the best ways to ignite the sparkle (and see the bioluminescence up close)? A kayak. The visual effect is decidedly subtle — it's not as if the entire sea lights up in a flash — but the intimacy of having the glow on your paddle is a surreal, up-close-and-personal joy.

The bow slicing through the water and the paddle dipping below the surface both trigger bioluminescence, while kayaking itself is a quiet, unobtrusive way to observe this ephemeral biological wonder. You'll want to paddle out of the glare of artificial lights, ideally as close as possible to the new moon (which is Aug. 4 this year). The darker, the better. I've seen bioluminescence as far south as Hope Island, near Olympia, and beaches along Vancouver Island, B.C., report reliable plankton glows year after year.

If you don't have a kayak or you're not comfortable launching in the dark by yourself, there are several outfitters that run tours in late July and August. The Olympic Outdoor Center launches from Port Gamble ($69 per person), Discovery Sea Kayaks paddles off San Juan Island ($145-$160 per person) and Hood Canal Adventures leaves from Brinnon ($120 per person). Plan ahead, as many tours sell out weeks or even months in advance.

In 2023 and 2024, Bellingham-based Moondance Sea Kayak Adventures ($105 per person) and Dragonfly Kayak Tours ($99 per person) secured permits from Washington State Parks to launch from the Larrabee State Park boat ramp, which normally closes at dusk. Recently, Cascadia Daily...