Great experience! I've never been kayaking and my husband did once. I was unnecessarily worried as I recently hurt my right leg but everything went great! But, you do end up wet. We were shuttled to and from the site by a funny great driver. Once there we were met by two informative guys who led us to our boats. They explained the process, gave us life jackets and oars. They helped us wade to our kayaks in pairs and off we went. One guy led in front, the other stayed in back. We quickly got to a spot and played with the water to trigger the bioluminescence. As the night progressed, the "glow" was better. Movement causes the glow so contrary to some pics, it's not always glowing unless you cause it. Unfortunately we didn't see any fish or turtles. Our guide Jake explained a lot of the history/makeup of the bay. He handled our questions effectively. I didn't get any pictures as they discourage cameras/phones and also say they capturing the images is difficult. I so wish I had gotten a pic of my husband and I either in the kayak or at least with our oars...We were sad it was over-what a great experience! read more

Black Beard Sports - Meeting point and mosquito bay location. - Snorkeling Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

Amazing experience we did the snorkling and bio luminescent tour!!! Shout out to our snorkling guide Yadi, he was so helpful and knowledge and made the experience wonderful and safe. The prescription snorkling goggles were life changing. On our trip we saw a sea turtle and lots of coral reef activity! This was a highlight of our trip. The Bioluminescent tour was out of this world, our driver JJ was so knowledge and helpful and made the experience all the better. Kayak guides tanner and Jake were helpful and made the tour fun! I loved working with this company, I would give it 100/5 stars, best company on the island!!!! read more

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My partner and I booked the BioBay tour and snorkeling the next morning with Black Beard and we had the best time! Pickups for both were very smooth and our tour guides were fantastic. Our snorkeling guide, JJ, was very knowledgeable about the island and made sure our experience went as smoothly as possible. I would absolutely recommend this company to everyone visiting the island! read more

This is the place to book a bio bay tour!! Great guides and they are LEGAL!! Unlike many other tour groups. Support the people who support the bio bay the right way. read more

The guide and entire operation were outstanding. The guide, Yadiel, was outstanding as was the entire Blackbeard operation. The entire family had an excellence experience. He gave us a thorough orientation, answered our many questions, and found spots where we were able to see many different kinds of fish and a very large sea turtle about 3 feet in length. read more

Absolutely incredible experience! Our guide Lane was extremely knowledgeable about the bio and the organisms that cause the bioluminescence. We had a great experience. I almost let "the internet" talk me out of a tour because we were in a three-quarter moon phase, but they really time the tours to fight against the moonlight. We had a great time - don't be discouraged whenever your trip is! read more

Hailey and Yordi were great at welcoming us. Hailey was beyond amazing with our group of 5 ladies with specific needs and limited experience in the water, and snorkeling. Hailey also helped us book a great deal over the phone. It was the 1st time for most of our group, who also don't know how to swim, snorkeling and Hailey made sure we had a great experience and that we were and felt safe. Ryan and Maeve were extremely knowldegeable and careful guiding us in kayaks throughout the bay for the Biolumiscent tour. This experience is extraordinary in every sense of the word. Imagine the night sky below you, or Fantasia with all the sparkles around you. It was such a magical experience to also get a view of the night sky and constellations, while also learning more about them. Will definitely be back to Vieques and book these experiences with BlackBeard sports. read more

My sister and I went snorkeling and it was wonderful! It was her first time and she was nervous but our guide made the experience easy and fun. She is hooked!! We saw ten sea turtles, a ray, pufferfish, and more. I highly recommend. read more

From the start I knew it was going to be a great and positive experience. JJ picked us up from El Blok Hotel and was cracking our group up the whole time. We didn't even feel the 30-35 minute drive to the bay. Once at the bay we were greeted by Luis and another person that were our guides. The guides were very experience and patient. Luis would educate us as to why it glows and what is happening with the bay that makes ideal for these perfect conditions to make it the best in the world. We are all very satisfied. It was more than enough time to kayak, play with water, and enjoy the evening. Thank you so much Black Beard. Recommendation: Plan to go on a new moon or when it's the darkest. The stars were amazing to watch. It's like it was a sky show and a bioluminescence show. When you're kayaking the glass bottom lights up and it's like traveling at light speed through the stars. An absolute must do when in Vieques. Vieques is beautiful enough with its beaches and snorkeling. read more

One of the best reasons to visit Vieques. Ask for Erica. She is AMAZING! My son obtained his certification from her and she was very knowledgeable, kind and thorough. I can't thank them enough for their time with him. read more

Black Beard Sports - They have cool photos of diving patents in the office. - Snorkeling Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

I've been all over the world and the Bio Bay tour ranks in my Top 10 Most Awesome Adventures - such a unique and incredible activity! Ryan and Uncle Lou were amazing. I did this tour with my fifteen year old daughter who is really, really into science and she absolutely loved all the info Ryan shared. I learned a lot too! Safe, fun, informative, professional, magical - Black Beard has it all. You can tell the guides love what they do. Honestly I saw a few other tour groups that I would not want to have been on - either the groups were way too big or they seemed very unorganized - glad we went with Black Beard!! read more

The biobay tour with Black Beard was the BEST! Jake and Ryan were the most amazing tour guides and JJ was a very entertaining driver. This is by far my favorite experience ever. I can't say enough good things. It really is the coolest. I wish I had pictures. So amazing. read more

Our bio bay tour was amazing! They told us to expect little bioluminescence because of the storms, but we ended up finding an area with 100%! Christy and Cuba were amazing guides, teaching us about the stars and the bay. JJ drove us through the crazy island terrain safely. We also did the shore dives with Haley. She was very knowledgable and made us feel very comfortable. Overall awesome experience! They also have cool merch! read more

Black Beard Sports - Snorkeling Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

JJ, Jake, and Ryan, thank you for the most memorable experience that I'll never have the words to describe the time we had in Bioluminescence Bay!!! JJ, you're one fun, crazy, entertaining character - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your personality! Jake and Ryan were also GREAT; we learned SO MUCH in the hour and a half on the bay. It's so important to educate humans about this Bay! The saying goes, "If the oceans die, we die," and it's 100% true. We will be forever grateful for giving us this experience and memories that will never die! LOVE YOU GUYS! read more

We had a great scuba shore dives with Hailey. Equipment was in great shape and felt very safe with Hailey as our dive master. Our negative is that we didn't get to do our boat dives the next day. We had booked 6 months out but their boat was not working so that was canceled. We were very disappointed read more

We had an amazing experience for our bio bay tour in Vieques. Everyone involved was knowledgeable and entertaining. Our tour involved five boats (10 total people) and that was the perfect size for the tour. I would not want to go out in a group bigger than that. We highly recommend booking with this group for the bio bay tour in Vieques. read more

My teen son and I did two shore dives with Black Beard on our recent trip to Vieques. Everything was great and I highly recommend Black Beard. Since it had been over a year since our last dive we paid a little extra for the "refresher", and Erica gave us some extra attention to make sure we were comfortable. It came back quickly and with their modern, quality gear and Erica's guidance, we had no issues and were able to enjoy the tropical seas. Also she made sure my son got his shoes back when he accidentally left them in the truck - thanks for the excellent service and great dives! read more

Hooray for Hailey! My wife and I had a very enjoyable snorkeling trip. My wife has recently undergone spinal surgery and has some limited mobility. Hailey was professional, patient and took the time to make sure that my wife felt safe and acknowledged. She balanced that with making sure the others on the trip had their needs met as well. Black Beard Sports is just the ticket if you want more than just herded like sheep. (I see that in some other guide services) Also, went on the Bio Bay tour two days earlier with JJ, Nick and team who kept us entertained, informed and with a sense of awe. Black Beard Sorts is not the biggest, however, they are the best in Vieques PR! read more

Absolutely one of a kind experience! Our driver, JJ, and our guides, Ryan and Jake, were phenomenal. JJ kept us entertained and comfortable on the very bumpy ride to the biobay, and Ryan explained procedure clearly, and was full of fun facts. They all clearly enjoyed their jobs. It was a dark night with no moon, and the bioluminescence was at its brightest- absolutely extraordinary! Ryan kept us away from other tours, so it felt very private. He also showed us all the different ways to observe the "glow-glow water". My favorite was scooping it up in my hand- you could see each pinprick of light that was one dinoflagellate! It was a perfect experience from start to finish. Would absolutely go with Blackbeard again. read more

We rented a snorkel/mask for four days and booked a bio bay tour. Despite being the only customers and then having two people it took a half an hour to do this. We clearly stated multiple times that we wanted a tour for the following day. FOUR TIMES the clerk repeated that we wanted the same day tour, which had two open spots. It was obvious he was trying to trick us into filling the final two empty spots in order to maximize their profit for the nights tour. Ryan, JJ, and Maeve did a great job on the tour. Wish I could give this 5* for their work. But: I return the snorkel. At first we agreed that it was a four day rental but they said I was late one day. I counted the days on my finger to prove that no, I was actually early. Now they say, oh we only charged for three days. As the rental took a half hour, I clearly remembered it. I was over a barrel and had a ferry to catch, so they got to charge us extra - for their mistake. That's bad business. When you mess up and are willing to turn a 5* to a 1* in order to chase down your undercharge (not an undercharge) you might be bad at business. read more

I highly recommend this tour group! Responsive from booking to arrival. The nicest equipment from what I could see from other tour groups at the meet spot. Very professional, informative, and welcoming personalities. I felt like they actually cared about me and my experience, not just the money. The bay unfortunately wasn't as bright on our trip, maybe cuz of Hurricane Elsa and all of the storms. So that part wasn't as expected but it's the luck of the draw. Nonetheless it was magical. But to know I flew here and paid a tour company all to come back and find it at the boat docks of my house in Florida the next day was a little upsetting ha ha! Shout out to our amazing tour guides Jordy and Mave! Such great people! They really made it fun No photos for this review since we left them in the van. You can't go wrong booking with them read more

This was an awesome experience! The driver was so fun, he was very funny, gave the cats food which was quite nice, and he took the crabs off the road so they wouldn't get hit. The drivers name is jj for short, so if you get him you know you will have a great time, and I would tip him well. As for the tour it was really cool, pretty, and is very interesting. The guy for the actual tour was ok, he was not like jj and was not funny. If the driver was like the tour guide then I would not rate it 5 stars. So 5 stars for driver, 5 stars for the bay, 3.5-4 stars for tour guide. read more

My 16-year-old was recently PADI certified, and we went on our first open water dive together, following a much needed refresher for me. The experience with Black Beard absolutely exceeded our expectations in every way. Our beach dive was led by Erica and Hayley - both of whom are dive masters - and their focus on safety and accommodating the various experience levels of our small group was well noted and very appreciated! Our maximum descent was about 40 feet, perfect for beginner divers. And through our two dives we were surprised by the rich marine life we saw... turtles, tarpon, lionfish, angelfish, and even a spiny lobster! Would definitely recommend Black Beard for scuba diving on Vieques without hesitation. They run a very tight ship and a top notch dive operation! read more

Black Beard Sports - Snorkeling Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

My photos couldn't capture the fun we experienced. My husband and I did the bio bay tour and it was lovely. The bay at night is purely magical! We had tour guides Ryan, Lane, and JJ who were all very enthusiastic throughout the night and made the tour enjoyable. If you are in Vieques, this is a must. read more

Black Beard Sports - Kayaks - Snorkeling Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

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These guys are the real deal! We booked two tours - Snorkeling and Bio-bay with Black beard. This was our first experience for snorkeling plus we dont know swimming at all. Yordi, Haley and Bea handled us so perfectly and we enjoyed every moment. They were guiding and motivating us throughout. The Bio-bay tour was amazing and totally worth it. We got little late for the pick-up van due to our dinner but Haley waited for us and coordinated well till the time we boarded. Yordi and Bea were our tour guides and told everything about the history which was very informative. They did point out planets, north star and milky way galaxy. The kayak had glass bottom and we were able to see through. We have never seen such a beautiful scene like that. We would suggest not bringing any cameras or even your phones if you are want to take pictures because it's impossible to capture them. The Bio Bay tour was an unforgettable experience with the glowing, green water and pulsing light fish. Good pricing, great rentals, best staff. read more

Black Beard Sports - Snorkeling Near Me - Vieques, Puerto Rico

My girls trip group and I did the biobay tour with BlackBeard and it was all that I hoped it would be! Our guides, T and Ryan, were extremely kind and fun people. From the beginning of the tour, everything was incredibly organized and made us feel safe. T and Ryan were very helpful in teaching us how to kayak, something I was nervous about because I have little to no experience. The bay water is very quiet and it was very easy to kayak, even if you have no experience before. The guides also made sure that everyone felt comfortable and kept us together as a group. For the tour itself, there was a nice mix of sharing information and letting us all rest and take in the bay and the beautiful stars. I appreciated how in-depth they went into the science and history of the bay. Some may zone out over long explanations but I loved it. It made me want to learn more. They had lasers to point at the stars which made it one of the coolest star gazing experiences I've had because they could circle exactly which star they were referring to. And of course, the bay itself was magical. It's perhaps less dramatic than it looks in photoshopped pictures. But nothing can beat the experience of dipping your hand in the water and watching the bioluminescent plankton fall like glitter around you. (Def try to go on a new moon or close to it. We went two days after the true new moon but it was still dark enough) They even gave each person a water bottle in the end! A very small detail that had a big impact. Would recommend BlackBeard to anyone! read more

I went on a Bio Bay Tour with Blackbeard this weekend and it was amazing! Our guides were Erica & Cúba and they were so much fun. I really loved how knowledgeable they were.. Erica about the dinoflagellate, and Cúba about all of the stars and constellations in the sky. It was a perfect evening and I'm so glad I went with Blackbeard Sports! Thank you Erica and Cúba for a magical experience! read more

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Best part of our trip. JJ was our driver and he was so entertaining :) Our guide Maeve was excellent. The bay itself is magic. Highly recommend. read more

We went to the 7:30 time and I was so concerned it wasn't going to be dark enough but it was perfect. Really plan around the moon cycles because it makes all the difference! Ryan is SO incredibly knowledgeable and made it so fun. The experience itself is something out of a fairytale, but I love how Black Beard keeps the groups small to have a more engaging atmosphere. My only complaint is that these kayaks only have a square under your legs that are clear instead of the entire kayak being clear-- that would've been so cool. We really loved our experience and can't wait to bring our kids back. You need to be able to wade into about knee to low thigh water and sit sideways into a kayak as well as paddle around for about a good 15 minutes straight. We got slightly wet on the shorts and arms. Highly recommend bug spray! The road there is bumpy in a van, but if you understand the island, you'll understand why-- just be aware. Seriously, you won't regret booking this experience with Black Beard!! read more

Our primary reason for visiting Vieques was to see the bio bay tour and thanks to Black Beard Sports the experience was unforgettable! The drive out, ad back, which takes about 30 minutes over bumpy roads, went by in a flash thanks to our driver who was hilarious but also very safe! The bio bay experience is something you cannot miss, and having the clear bottom kayaks was essential in that you experience the bioluminescence underneath you the entire time; otherwise, you only see it when your paddle goes Into the water, or if you are lucky enough, when a fish swims by. The knowledge base of our guides on the water was impressive, and we left the tour with a better understanding of how critical this bay is to the larger ecosystem. Additionally, it was very clear that Black Beard Sports takes the fragility of the bio bay seriously. They only have small tours (there were 10 in our group) and the night we went we were surrounded by large groups (30 plus) being taken out to the bio bay which apparently is not legal to bring that many people and also potentially unsafe as all of these groups were entering the water at the same time as our group. The Black Beard Sports guides safely negotiated our group into the water despite the chaos of the surrounding oversized groups. As you are negotiating all of this in the water at night you appreciate how important it is to pick the right tour for this experience. Don't miss the opportunity to see the amazing bio bay in Vieques and don't pick anyone else other than Black Beard Sports to take you there! read more

This tour company is who I used for my Bio Bay Tour while visiting Vieques last week. Initially over a month ago, I called them on the phone to ask questions and then booked with them. I believe the cost was about $60 and I do recommend making reservations early as this tour is very popular and space is limited. A couple of days before the tour, Black Beard sent a reminder email of my reservation giving details of the tour and where to meet. For this tour you must ride with them to Mosquito Bay as access is limited to the tour companies only. Since I was lodging in Isabel II, my group met at their office in that town. This office is NOT listed correctly on Yelp but is located two doors down from The Boys and Girls Club building on Road 200R in the downtown area of Isabel II. Our group of 10 met at 6:30 p.m. and left shortly thereafter with our driver JJ in their van. We arrived about 20 minutes later to the launching point. There two people get into a kayak with double paddle oars wearing life preservers and the group then paddles out into Mosquito Bay (don't worry, no bugs) about 200-300 yards out from the shore following our 2 guides who are standing on paddle boards with small lights on their backs so that we can see them. For the next hour, we paddled around and watched with amazement the microorganisms light up when the water is disturbed. The kayaks are all clear bottom and you can see the lights thru the clear panels as you paddle. The hour goes by quickly with the fascination of the illumination in the water that also included seeing fish swimming by their lit contrails, the water lighting up when you paddle and the coolest part of cupping water in your hand and then having it run down your arm with the effect of green diamonds twinkling. They say that it is truly amazing when it rains during a tour and the effect of the raindrops hitting the water. Afterward, the group returned to shore and then ultimately returned back to the pick up point in Isabel II. A Bio Bay tour is a MUST if you visit Vieques (5). This was so enjoyable that if I stayed a couple more days I would have considered repeating this experience. Black Beard did a very good job (4) hosting the tour and I would recommend them for this tour. P.S. Almost all cameras are not equipped to take pictures of the microorganisms lighting in the water during the tour so don't waste the time of bringing a camera or try using your phone. This is something that you can only see with the naked eye and remember accordingly. Bring some cash to tip your 2 guides and your driver, if you wish. Wear water shoes or go barefoot because you have to get your feet wet getting in and out of the kayak from the shore. You pants might get wet if water from your paddle gets on them while paddling (shorts are best). The kayaks are stable and it is very unlikely that you would tip one over. Everyone is required to wear life preservers and the night of my tour the water was very calm. Finally, try to only book this tour if the moon is partial or not out at all. The darker the better. Don't go on a full moon night. read more

We had Tavonny as our guide. She was so wonderful. We were a family of 4 and were delighted to have a small group out in the ocean. All of us were beginners, she ensured each one of us was comfortable in the water before going further into the ocean. She instantly clicked with the kids and was very friendly which made the kids very comfortable to ask her for help during snorkeling.  She held onto my 5yr old kid all throughout the snorkel trip to ensure safety.  She spotted 5 turtles and various types of fish. She took some great videos and pictures of us under water. Both my kids remember this trip as the best part of the vacation. Tavonny is the best! read more

Fantastic bio-bay kayak tour! Luis and Ryan were great guides who kept us safe in the dark and provided a wonderful education on the glowing water and the stars. Our bus driver, JJ, was a very entertaining commentator with many stories about the island and its inhabitants. The small group of 10 was really nice. read more

We did a snorkeling tour. JJ is a terrific guide. We had so much fun - it was an amazing experience. We'll never forget all those beautiful turtles! read more

Did the Bio Bay tour on Saturday 8-24 evening. Reservation Process was very smooth and our 2 tour guides were great. We were a party of 6, had many questions about the history the Bio Bay, guides were very knowledgeable on the topic and did a great job. A must thing to do in Vieques! Thanks again to Black Beard for a great time. read more

Great experience touring the biobay in Vieques! The bioluminescence felt like magic! We lucked out with a moonless evening, knowledgeable trip leaders, and a small group. Hailey and Cuba were our guides and JJ was the driver. I visited the Biobay before with a different company a few years ago, and Blackbeard Sports delivered the better adventure. Clear bottom kayaks were a great, Hailey's deep knowledge about the bay was way more engaging than the bro-y approach of the other company's guides, and Cuba's description of the constellations above us rounded out the trip. Lastly, I want to give all three staff a shout out for how they supported a first time kayaker on our trip. They heard him out, helped him get his bearings, and made sure our time on the water was truly inclusive. read more

We booked a Bio Tour and Snorkeling Tour through Black Beard Tours. Mave and Cuba were our guides for the Bio Tour. Incredibly knowledgeable . We were lucky that it was overcast so our experience was even more spectacular . The next day we went snorkeling with Erica. I recommend mornings if possible as there is less sediment. If you have an underwater camera, bring it as you will be treated to some of the most beautiful underwater shows you could imagine! read more

We had a great experience with Jordy. We, as a couple, wanted to go diving together but only one of us is certified. Black Beard Sport made it possible and we were able to get two (2) inmersions from Mosquito Pier. It was really fun and Jordy made it a lot memorable. read more

I booked the Bio Bay Tour for 11/10/2022 for a total of 8 guests. We received confirmation of the tour date/time and information about the tour. We were so excited for the tour. Upon arrival on 11/10/2022 to the Bay we were asked if we received an e-mail communicating to us the conditions of the Bay. We had not received such e-mail regarding any Bay conditions. I triple confirmed and I had not received an e-mail. The staff communicated to us others had no received the e-mail either and raised the concerns with Black Beard Sports. Then continued to communicate to us that the bay is dark due to the recent weather and we would not be seeing any bioluminescence produced by the dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense. They informed us Black Beard Sports was aware of the Bay's conditions for days. This was very upsetting to us. Our transportation vehicle had just left and we were sitting ducks outside where it was pitched black. We understand the Bay can change based on the weather/nature conditions but being mislead on our experience was devastating. The tour guides (T and Cuba) were extremely nice, empathetic and understanding. They offered us a night guided tour and with no transportation we took them up on our offer. They urged us to contact Black Beard Sports in the daytime, explain our experience and request a refund. Black Beard Sports failed to acknowledge their wrong doing and were not willing to send me the e-mail they claimed I opened and received. No refund took place. read more

Very helpful in explaining diving scene in Vieques, knowledgeable on what to expect. Looked out for jellyfish on dive. Felt very safe with Hailey my master diver. Would highly recommend. Warm water. read more