About this Sunset and Bioluminescent Kayaking Tour
Florida Sunset Kayaking at its best – See Birds, Dolphins, Manatees and Bioluminescence
On this AMAZING tour, you get the best of our most popular kayaking tours.
You’ll see Florida’s unique variety of birds like cranes, storks, falcons, anhinga, cormorants, and eagles (just to name a few). Look out for dolphins playing in the river, and manatees as they get a last bite of seagrass before going to sleep.
As the tour begins, we paddle out for a breathtaking River view Sunset. We will kayak out to get a good view of Bird Island on the Indian River and enjoy this time out on the waters.
Dolphins Put on A Show
Dolphins are usually very active at this time and we may even see some manatees. After about 1.5 hours of paddling, we take a shore break – time for a romantic picnic? Ok, if you brought your children, maybe just a juice box and a granola bar. It’s whatever you’d like!
After Sunset – Time for Snack
We will stop and have break as we wait for it to get dark. We recommend bringing out your favorite snacks to enjoy a picnic experience. This break is usually on the shore at the launch site.
See Bioluminescence at Night
Then as the day turns dark, we paddle into our favorite spots to see Florida’s bioluminescent creatures. Depending on the season, you will see plankton dino bioluminescence or bioluminescent comb jellies. During the mid-seasons (Mar to June and Nov – Dec), you might even see both!
See the water glow and sparkle as you paddle through the dark waters of Haulover Canal.
This is our staff pick’s favorite tour!! If you have the time you should do it.
More about the Indian River Wildlife and Manatees
The Indian River Lagoon is an estuary that is fed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean making it a unique natural habitat. Florida has more endangered or threatened species than any other state, and the Indian River is home to 36 rare or endangered wildlife. This river is home to dolphins and the West Indian Manatee. Manatees love this river because of the abundance of seagrass beds.
Other rare wildlife you are likely to see are: Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, Loggerhead Turtles, Blue Crabs, Seahorse, Otters and Great Blue Herons. In the summer months, night tours offer a rare view of glowing seaweed that is “bioluminescent.” Yes – it glows in the dark!
What is included
- Kayak This tour is in a 2-person tandem kayak.
- PFD
- Guides
What you should bring
- Insect repellent
- Towel
- Flashlight
- Water bottle
- Snacks
How to prepare for your eco-tour
- Check for emails
- Check directions – double check
- Wear quick-dry clothes
- Wear water/river shoes
- Bring cash (tips optional)
- Call for questions
- Be ready for fun
Check tour condition
Check our Twitter updates to see how the wildlife has been lately on BK Adventure Tours.
Meeting points
Get directions to Haulover Canal here.
Haulover Canal is a beautiful launch site on the Wildlife Refuge. We use this site for our 10:15 Bioluminescence Kayaking tour, and other tours, like the Sunset Tour.
Reviews
Write a reviewKyle & Dawson were awesome guides! Manatees came right up to our kayaks and were so playful. Poor Kyle almost got tipped by one! Such a cool experience!! The biolife ...
Ashley Burns
Kyle & Dawson were awesome guides! Manatees came right up to our kayaks and were so playful. Poor Kyle almost got tipped by one! Such a cool experience!! The biolife was so cool and the sunset was beautiful.
Our guide LUKE was awesome! Did great and was very informative. The experience tonight was amazing! Worth the trip when conditions are right. This is our third time coming down ...
Chatfield II
Our guide LUKE was awesome! Did great and was very informative. The experience tonight was amazing! Worth the trip when conditions are right. This is our third time coming down due to weather mishaps previously. Watching the animals swim and having it glow was very cool! Watching fish was fun. Best experience so far.
Our trip was two days after a new moon. The trip departed at about 9:15 PM this Sunday evening. The weather was gorgeous and the lack of ambient lighting in ...
Anonymous
Our trip was two days after a new moon. The trip departed at about 9:15 PM this Sunday evening. The weather was gorgeous and the lack of ambient lighting in the area surrounding Kennedy Space Center made for amazing star watching. No less exciting was the bioluminescence in the water. The dinoflagellates and the comb jellies were amazing.
The unique clear hulled kayaks we're fascinating as the bioluminescent life-forms sparkled and glowed as they glided against the hull in the water. it was like thousands of green shooting stars running along the entire underside of the kayak below the waterline. every pedal stroke made the water glow.
Skimming a net through the water made huge glowing swirls of green light. The guides were extremely knowledgeable about the biochemical phenomenon creating the lights and about the role of dinoflagellates and comb jellies in the ecosystem. I highly recommend this tour, especially in the days surrounding a new moon.
Had a terrific kayak adventure with BK. We did the sunset trip followed by bioluminescence in mid October. We happened to be there on a very chilly day, which was ...
Lisa E. (Peachy in Georgia)
Had a terrific kayak adventure with BK. We did the sunset trip followed by bioluminescence in mid October. We happened to be there on a very chilly day, which was unexpected, but we all made the best of it! We saw a lot of gorgeous birds, manatees, and even dolphins. Magical!
There is still bioluminescence in mid-October, but it’s not as plentiful and bright as what you see mid-summer.
The BK team were well-prepared and all of our equipment and boats were in great condition. The kayaks are for two people, so if you come with an uneven number in your party, someone will get paired up with a stranger.
There are porta potties at the drop-in location. You can go before you get on the boat, and with the double tours there was a snack and bio-break in the middle.
Our family group included one adult (admittedly in not great shape, lol) one senior citizen, and three teenagers and all of us were able to manage the exertion of paddling around for three hours.
If you have little children with you, and they are afraid of the dark, the night time tour would not be a good choice. There were some parts of the tour that were in incredibly dark areas of the water.
I’d love to come back in the summer and see the bioluminescence when it’s at its peak. Thanks BK for an enjoyable evening!
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.
Ram, the owner, likes to say, "You bring the spray, we'll bring the mosquitos!" We cannot guarantee there will be mosquitos, but there is a 99% change there will be. Some breezy nights have no mosquitoes. Some nights there are a lot. The other pest is No-See-Ums. The best way to keep them away is with Baby Oil. So, consider slathering on a layer of Baby Oil to any exposed skin. PLEASE BRING MOSQUITO SPRAY.
We can manage groups up to 50 people. We recommend you book weekend nights at least 45 days in advance for large groups. Weekdays is best, as those are easier to find spaces for. Please phone us for details, and we will be happy to get you and ALL your wonderful friends out for the tour! See more about Group Tours here.
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!
Our recommended age for paddling is 5+ years old. Each tandem kayak, has a small middle seat, that a younger child could sit in. Price is per person regardless of age, or number in kayak. We recommend only for small children who are able to sit still for at least 90 minutes.
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 wildlife and environmental protection we have a limited number of bicycles we can use at one time. There will be 4-6 people on your tour, plus your guide. Fat tire bikes are made to ride in sand and over rough terrain. They are perfect for your wildlife beach adventure.
This tour is better for older children. All of our bikes are 26 inches. We recommend children are 10+ and 55" tall to be able to ride the fat tire bikes.
BK Adventure's office is about 50 miles from Orlando, and just 15 minutes away from Kennedy Space Center. Guest will meet at our Titusville office and then be driven to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge (about 10 miles away).
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.
Please request a tandem kayak at time of booking if you would like one. This river is technical, and better in a smaller kayak.
This kayaking tour is not recommended for smaller children. 10+ is a good age for this tour.
Lots of people who love kayaking with their dog have asked about this tour. We do not recommend this one for dogs.
Though we do not guarantee wildlife on any of our tours (Mother Nature makes no guarantees!), we usually see alligators, ospreys, herons, river otters and deer on this tour.
We can manage groups up to 15 people for this tour. We recommend you book weekends at least 45 days in advance for large groups. Weekdays is best, as those are easier to find spaces for. Please phone us for details, and we will be happy to get you and ALL your wonderful friends out for the tour! See more about Group Tours here.
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, let your guide know when at the beginning of the tour.
Because of wildlife and environmental protection we have a limited number of boats we can launch at one time. There will be 6-10 people in your raft depending on the size of the boat.
This tour is better for small children. We recommend only for small children who are able to sit still for at least 90 minutes. Please bring USCG issued life vest for toddlers to be sure it is a good fit. We do have child size life vests available for 3+.
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.
We can manage groups up to 22 people for rafting. We have 3 rafts to accommodate this. We recommend you book weekend nights at least 45 days in advance for large groups. Weekdays is best, as those are easier to find spaces for. Please phone us for details, and we will be happy to get you and ALL your wonderful friends out for the tour! See more about Group Tours here.
The weight limit for 1 raft is about 2400lbs. We can accommodate people of varying sizes in our rafts. Be sure you can get in and out of the raft on your own.
Because of the limited availability of our rafts, 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.
