Vieques, Puerto Rico has the world's brightest bioluminescent bay. I just learned about this while editing an article for the Auxiliary news magazine, Breeze. It was written by a member of one of the PR flotillas. English is not their first language so I have to edit tenses and word order carefully. It also means that I have to keep my browser open and research different things as I edit.

The article is about members of the Auxiliary going to Vieques to teach boating safety. Vieques is an island about 8 miles from mainland PR and the challenges included overcoming the lack of transportation from the mainland to Vieques. (There is none except for ferries and small aircraft.) While that is definitely a challenge, the biggest was their mistrust of military agencies.

The economy of Vieques depended upon sugar crops and fishing until the early 1940's when the U.S. Navy acquired 2/3 of the island. The Navy used the pristine beaches as bombing ranges and testing grounds. Starting in the 1980's, residents protested the Navy's use of their beaches and when ignored, the protests led to civil unrest and civil disobedience in the late 1990's. Lots of movie stars got on board and made the protest public, and in 2003, the Navy finally withdrew.

Since the Navy’s withdrawal, the government has redirected its efforts towards developing tourism to take advantage of the island’s many crystal clear beaches. The island is the largest wildlife sanctuary in the Caribbean and is currently under the protection of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Vieques has the world’s largest and brightest bioluminescent bay. The luminescence is caused by microorganisms in the water that glow neon blue when the water is disturbed and is most visible at night.

By the way- the bioluminescence is not in any way related to or caused by the Naval experiments or radioactivity, etc. These organisms are found in several places throughout the world. The organisms in Vieques are called Pyrodinium bahamenes or "swirling fire". When the Spaniards first arrived in the 1500's, they thought the devil caused the water to glow.