Los Arcos - Magical Avatar Bay

Everyday I wake up smiling thinking about the wonderful time I had the day before. Two years ago no one could have told me I’d be living my dream of freedom and joy in Mexico.

It was early morning and Rey had already been to the beach to check out the water before leaving for his scheduled horseback riding tour. As usual, I packed my camera bag and followed Rey and the dogs to the ranch where I take pictures and record videos for his clients. Our youngest dog Melania-Paloma runs the trail with the horses while I take Baron von Greismok on a long jungle walk and a swim in the river before the walk home.

I’d like to tell you that this was a special day – but – everyday is special here. After returning from the photo session I did a little housekeeping and prepared food for the dogs (I usually make it fresh). I fixed myself a nice breakfast and settled down to finish editing the video from yesterdays excursion.

I was done in about 4 hours. That’s when Rey came home and insisted “put your bathing suit on, we’re going to the beach”. Of course, I love to hear those words so I was ready in a jiffy. We went to our favorite restaurant on the beach to meet his new friends – the guests from the horseback riding tour who’d had so much fun they wanted to spend the rest of the day experiencing Mismaloya.

We spent a lovely evening watching the sunset, and if that wasn’t enough, the group asked Rey to book a late night boat ride to Los Arcos so they could experience the bioluminescence that this region is so famous for.

These rare ecosystems happen when microscopic, single-celled organisms called dinoflagellates grow in quantities big enough to produce a “glow-in-the-dark” effect when stimulated by movement. So, when you paddle or splash the water, these organisms light up in a neon blue-green color, and so does everything they come in contact with, giving a star-like reflection to the water.

I have to admit the tour was a bit scary. The boat ride was wonderful but I’m not accustomed to swimming in the dark. Before we even reached Los Arcos our braver friends where diving from the mountainside on the Mismaloya shore line, while those of us who remained in the boat cheered them on.

Shortly after the first dive, we picked up two guys who were stranded on a Panga and couldn’t get back to the beach. We gave them a ride back to the shore and then headed to Los Arcos excited about the bioluminescence we were about to experience. It was darker now, the moon was just right and the water was only slightly cooler than in the day. What an exciting phenomena! The water glowed as did our paddles and hands as we splashed.

On the way to Los Arcos we met vacationers exploring the caves by paddle board, as well as a jet skier who was stranded because his vehicle stopped working. He tied his jet ski to our boat and we towed him along to our destination. Our captain called the jet ski company for help but it seems we were to far away for a rescue.

The skier stayed with us as our guest enjoyed diving and exploring the caves with our guide. It was scary jumping into the dark water but as soon as we saw the light of the bioluminescence the fear vanished in the swirl of this magical experience. We swam through a cave and those who knew how to dive enjoyed the magical depths. It was like swimming around the Avatar forest.

On the way back the bay rescue finally came to pick up the jet skier and his vehicle, guided by the S.O.S. light that Rey had coincidentally carried in his diving bag. What a lucky break for the skier. He would otherwise have to travel back to Mismaloya with us and that was far from where he needed to go.

Finally, we went home, pumped up with the days excitement as we fell asleep to wonderful dreams looking forward to tomorrow.