Clear Kayak Bioluminescence Tours
In summer our clear kayak tours launch from Kiwanis Island Park near Cocoa Beach and the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge near Kennedy Space Center in Titusville. Both locations are amazing for bioluminescence!
Choose Bioluminescent Clear Kayaking near Cocoa Beach or Titusville
Bioluminescent Clear Kayak tours in these glass-like boats are a spectacular way to experience Florida’s glowing waters. It’s especially breath-taking in summer when the dinoflagellates (plankton) light up a bright iridescent blue.
This tour is a “mystical experience” that is sure to be the highlight of your stay near Orlando or the Space Coast (Titusville and Cape Canaveral). Experience the magic world of these neon sea creatures as your kayak lights up from all sides!
Looking for our Cocoa Beach Clear Kayaking (Kiwanis Island) Location? Click here.
Why choose clear kayaks: All of our tours offer a great way to experience the wonder of bioluminescence, but clear kayaks make it all the more magical. You get a view of not just the sides of your boat, but all sides of your boat – front, back, sides and bottom. You see the glowing plankton sparkling under you.
When to go: The best time to see dinoflagellates (plankton) is June – October. However, bioluminescent Comb Jellies are present in the colder months and make for a great experience as well. Book early clear kayaking usually sells out in summer.
Tours depart nightly: These clear bottom kayaking tours depart nightly throughout the year and are a “must-do” for Florida vacations. There are only a few places to see bioluminescence in the world, and BK Adventure tours are the most popular in the continental United States. So, if you’re ready to get up and go kayaking tonight, simply book online or give us a call.
Where we take you: This tour launches on Florida’s east coast near the Canaveral National Seashore. We depart where the bioluminescence is best, and sometimes this changes. When you book the tour, your confirmation will have directions to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge (Titusville).
How to book: Simply click on the orange “book now” button on this page, and follow the prompts. For same day bookings or special options, just give us a call (407-519-8711). We are happy to help you, and often last minute bookings can be arranged.
What is included
- Kayak This tour is in a 2-person tandem kayak.
- PFD
- Guides
What you should bring
- Insect repellent
- Towel
- Water bottle
- Sunblock
Weight Limit
415 lbs total for 2-Person Kayak (neither participant should weigh over 250); some participants may need to use the clear kayak as a single person based on weight limits. Additional charge may apply.
Moon Notice
Moonlight effects this tour and how brightly you will see bioluminescence. The less moonlight, the brighter the bioluminescent sea creatures will appear. Please check the Moon Calendar before booking. Note that in July-August dinoflagellates appear so bright that almost any night is great!
Check tour conditions
Check our Twitter updates to see how the wildlife has been lately on BK Adventure Tours.
Meeting point
Beacon 42 Boat Ramp on Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.
Reviews
Write a reviewOur family of 3 did a sunset and bioluminescence tour. Our guide was Jay, and he was great! He was very engaging with the littles, and made the tour fun. ...
Megan Thayer
Our family of 3 did a sunset and bioluminescence tour. Our guide was Jay, and he was great! He was very engaging with the littles, and made the tour fun.
For odd size groups, someone will be put in a single kayak.
For the sunset portion we paddled to various locations and were lucky to see manatees, dolphins and an alligator! Birds were also everywhere. There was plenty of opportunity to take photos.
After the sunset we returned to shore for a quick break and went back out about 20 minutes later. The bioluminescence started out a little slow but as you understood what to look for it really started to jump out!
Jay and the other guide were helpful giving tricks along the way to be able to “agitate” the bioluminescence to see it. They even caught some of the jellies and put them in a fish bowl so we could interact more closely.
Overall it was a super cool experience and highly recommend it!
Some tips:
- Bring sunscreen and bug spray!
- You WILL get wet and depending on the time of year it will be cold. (Bring a towel to drape over your legs!)
- Bring extra clothes for after (although there is no changing room)
- The bioluminescence is HARD to capture on film so put your camera down and just enjoy it!Had the absolute best time doing the sunset and bioluminescence tour! Sarah was a wealth of information and Sam helped to keep everyone safe and on path! Both were great ...
Mikailla Brownfield
Had the absolute best time doing the sunset and bioluminescence tour! Sarah was a wealth of information and Sam helped to keep everyone safe and on path! Both were great guides and made the experience that much better! We definitely would love to experience this tour again 😍
The sunset bioluminesce tour was an amazing way to spend New Year's Day! We saw dolphin, manatee, jumping fish, native birds, bioluminescent plankton, and jellyfish! The sunset was stunning, and ...
Jenuine H
The sunset bioluminesce tour was an amazing way to spend New Year's Day!
We saw dolphin, manatee, jumping fish, native birds, bioluminescent plankton, and jellyfish!
The sunset was stunning, and everyone in our group had an exceptional time. I went with a 12 year old and dad who had never kayaked before. With the confidence inspiring orientation, they looked like naturals on the water!
There is limited cell service at Haulover Canal, so I would recommend offline directions instead of relying on GPS navigation.
January is a great time to see birds visiting from cooler climates, too! The nature is just splendid at the Canaveral National Seashore.
Cheers to Jay, Kaitlyn and Elliot for an educational adventure!
Loved our night Bioluminescence tour at the National Wildlife Refuge! Jay and Lisa were our knowledgeable and fun guides and did a great job leading us in the dark to ...
Carolyn Owen
Loved our night Bioluminescence tour at the National Wildlife Refuge! Jay and Lisa were our knowledgeable and fun guides and did a great job leading us in the dark to see the jelly combs and walking us through history of the area. We could also hear the nearby dolphins and jumping fish. It was an unusual and memorable experience!
FAQ
Our tours rarely cancel due to weather. If it is raining the day of the tour, chances are, with Florida weather, it will clear up by the time your tour starts. Sometimes we will hold the tour by 30 minutes for the weather to clear. In the case of lightning, high winds, or some other reason that we cannot paddle, we will re-schedule all guests to the very next tour available, or at a convenient time for you. Rainchecks are valid for 1 year.
We recommend you do the "Sunset Tour" if you have time. That way you get to see dolphins, and possibly manatees and all the amazing birds. Then, take a break, and go out for the Bioluminescent Kayak Tour later. It's just $20 more and it's an amazing tour! Click here to book that.
For our single kayaks, the weight limit is 275 lbs. For the tandem kayaks it is 550 lbs. The night kayaking tours are done on tandem kayaks.
Some people are naturally athletic, and they pick up any kind of activity easily. If that's you, pick either launch location. If you are a beginner, or not sure about kayaking abilities, or have small children, you may want to choose the Haulover Canal kayaking location. You may also want to ask about our new rafting options where you join others in the raft for an easy paddle in a big boat.
We like to think so, but we cannot guarantee it. Here are the best conditions: hot weather, right after a rain storm, dark night. Sometimes the night is dark even when the moon is supposed to be bright. Sometimes a barely visible moon occurs on such a clear night, that even the slightest shine makes it seem bright. So, there are many factors that make the bioluminescence more/less visible. The BEST TIME for glowing algae (dinoflagellates) brightness is usually July to October. But we see it all year round, and in November, we see amazing flashing comb jellies! So, don't miss out because your vacation does not fall during the summer months.
This depends on your launch site: either Kelly Park is near Port Canaveral right off of Hwy. 528 (about 45 mins from Orlando), or in peak-season also, Haulover Canal in Titusville, Florida (1 hr; 15 mins from Orlando). Kelly Park near Cocoa Beach is the closer launch site to Miami.
Lots of people who love kayaking with their dog have asked about this tour. We do not recommend this one for dogs, as it is a night kayaking tour. Maybe chose the manatee tour or the monkey tour instead of bioluminescent kayaking if you want to have a great experience with your favorite pooch!
Because of wildlife and environmental protection we have a limited number of kayaks we can launch at one time. So, we use 2 person tandem kayaks in order to get all of our guests out to see the bioluminescence on the dates they want. That does not mean you will be in a large group. Only 8 boats go out with 2 guide boats at one time.
Because of the limited availability of our equipment, they tend to book up quickly. Please call us if there is a time/day you would like that is not available for online booking. We may be able to get you on.
