01/10/2015
Laguna Grande, will it recover, and if so when?
October 1,2015 Update on Laguna Grande status!
First I would like to address that Enchanted Island Eco Tours will be CLOSED for our annual maintenance and vacation from October 1, through November 3, 2015! We will be back in high season operation Tuesday through Saturday November 4, 2015 forward!
Laguna Grande is making a very slow improvement! We are seeing small concentrations of bioluminescence in the lagoon now, and hope that the passing of the Super Moon tidal event will be the turning point for the lagoons start toward recovery.
Note, that the recovery process will be long, as this Dead Zone event led to a complete ecosystem crash. Many hundreds of dead fish and other marine life have to complete the decomposition process and return to the compost at the bottom of the lagoon! This will then and only then reduce the large amount of fuel “Dead Fish & Marine Life” that large blooms of bacteria are feeding on leading to the loss of oxygen in the lagoon. With decomposition back to normal, we will see the bacteria counts return to normal and the ecosystem start to recover.
Recovery Signs! Marine life reestablishing life in the lagoon, fish, crustaceans, we have seen this in our last visit. Schools of fish being fed on by birds and predatory fish such as Tarpon and Snapper, so we know that the oxygen levels are starting to recover! Strong tidal movements, such as Lunar tides, like the recent and ongoing Super Moon, very low strong outbound tides, removing large quantities of depleted or stag water. Then extreme high tide returning freshly oxygenated ocean water into the lagoon! On these inbound tides, we are seeing Bioluminescent Seeding in the channel riding the strong inbound tide into the lagoon!
Recovery? Events like this are very hard to lay an exact time window on, as it is a First Time Event in my 19 years operating in Laguna Grande! So I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but ongoing weather patterns, favorable weather conditions, will play a large role in the recovery time line! Note, Mid-September through the end of February are considered to be the Null Window or the lowest concentrations of bioluminescence due to change of conditions! Cooler temperatures, Longer windows of cloudy weather, Drop in water column temperatures, Influx of fresh water via rain, larger than normal wave movement due to cold fronts approaching PR, stirring of the water column causing normally clear water to become clouded and blocking sunlight pe*******on! Due to the Null Window, I feel that improvements will be small and patchy the bioluminescence may be up and down in its concentrations. Some days or weeks may be fair and others may be poor, but I feel that the lagoon will not make a full recovery or see the strong concentrations of bioluminescence that Laguna Grande is known for until Peak Season or the start of March 2016!
Guest Looking to Book! Many may be asking, will it be worth booking from November, 2015 forward? I would say that even in years past during the Null Window or Low Season Laguna Grande is a “Wonder of Nature” beautiful to see even in normal low concentrations! But due to this event please pay close attention to the Lunar Phases and try to book in the new moon forward as to avoid light pollution. As responsible outfitters with a true love for nature and our guests best possible experience in mind, I would encourage all guests looking to see Laguna Grande’s bioluminescence to go ahead and make your bookings! Keep in mind that even with all in our favor the Bioluminescence at best will be fair! But this is still a wonders sight to behold, if we see that the lagoons recovery is not at an acceptable level and your experience is not going to be quality! We will advise you upfront, no later than 24 hours before your scheduled tour date and make cancellation at no charge to you! We can at that time offer you alternative tours if you choose to join us we will be glad to have you!
Join Us! We will be making regular updates via Facebook and working toward making sure that our guests are well informed leading to our goal of A Fun, Safe, Memorable, Experience Every Time! Our Offices will be open in October Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00am to 3:00pm if you need to talk with someone or you can make your booking live online at, ecotourspuertorico.com find live calendar feeds, Trip Advisor reviews and full activity descriptions and videos! Find something that you like and fits your schedule, you can book on line!
Thank you for reading and we hope to see you soon!
Enchanted Island Eco Tours Inc.
Owner/Operator
Michael S. Grasso Jr.
