Experience the magic of bioluminescence in Bellingham Bay! Join Community Boating Center and The Bronze Chapter for a nighttime paddle to witness the display of this enchanting light. We’ll take you to some of the best places in the region to see their glow! This trip is great for beginners and experienced paddlers.
The bioluminescence phenomenon is created by planktonic organisms that are active from June to September in our coastal marine habitats. Our guides will explain why they glow and why our destination on this tour offers such a uniquely incredible viewing opportunity!
For inspiration watch this!
Dates: June 24, July 22, August 26
Time: 8:30pm – 11:30pm
Place: Community Boating Center, 555 Harris Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
Cost: $45 (if you’d like to apply for a scholarship see the application here)
Lodging: If you’d like to stay and participate in other programs let us know so we can pass along info for area stay and camping options
You may request a sit-on-top kayak or rowboat (if you know how to row) to better accommodate children or to offer a more comfortable platform for folks with mobility or balance concerns. Don’t hesitate to ask what boat may suit you best.
Safety is the number one priority. Running this tour at night requires experienced guides, good weather conditions, and mindful participants. We will cancel and refund or reschedule the tour if the conditions are not safe. Usually we can anticipate conditions about 48 hours in advance, but sometimes the conditions change just hours beforehand.
Offering on-water experiences and building a more skilled BIPOC outdoor Community is extremely important. Kayaking is an intimidating sport with high barriers to entry and extremely low Black and Brown participation. Come learn some things about our marine environment and feel the awe, freedom, and confidence that paddling brings.
Through these bioluminescence paddles, participants experience kayaking (most for the first time); they experience paddling at night (something that even seasoned paddlers rarely do); they swirl the sea to view and hold the chemical reaction that produces light energy within an organism’s body; and observe sea life by headlamp; with senses fully immersed, most participants experience connection of Earth Air and Water that were previously only read about in books or watched in movies.
We couldn’t do this without the awesome team at Community Boating Center that is committed to supporting BIPOC community in the movement towards a more diversified outdoors.
Participant Praise:
“I’ll always remember chatting with other Black and Brown folks about our experiences in the outdoors while searching for bioluminescence.”
“It made me want to sign up for more outdoor events immediately! Also I’m far more confident in my ability to successfully try new things.”
“I learned about bioluminescence!”