Haulover After Dark

Not quite dark when I took the photo of two dolphins. (The second is in the upper left corner). I made a trip to Haulover Canal after work Wednesday September 17, 2008 for an evening paddle. Left work at 5:30, sat in traffic getting out of Orlando, in the Indian Lagoon at 7:05.

I paddled out to Mullet Head Island, following the lead of a flock of ibis and herons that abandoned the pictured perch, followed the sun and joined their birdy brethren at the sanctuary.

Mullet Head, off limits to protect nesting birds, was full of herons, egrets, ibis, cormorants, pelicans and vultures. Sunset is a great time to visit, the sky fills with fowl flying to and fro.

I paddled back to the Canal encountering the dolphins in the lead off photo. Four were feeding. Dusk made photography hard. Too much lag time between pushing the camera's button and the flash. It was fun watching the quartet pursue their quarry.

Into the Canal, two more dolphins traveling west, to the Indian River. I stopped at the Bairs Cove Ramp area. Heard, more than saw manatees as it was getting dark. I also came up with the answer as to why manatees and elephants split on the evolutionary tree. Mosquitoes. Manatees decided staying in the water was the best defense. Resumed the paddle towards Mosquito Lagoon, heard a few more manatees at the Overlook. I began to notice a white glow with each paddle stroke. This is why I was here after sunset.

Bioluminescence. Living light. Microscopic creatures, that when disturbed by a paddle, bow, hand or fish, produce an ethereal glow. The darker the night, the better the effect. The area on the north side of the Canal, is my favorite place at night. It is full of fish swimming back and forth near the surface, jumping at times. They leave trails like shooting stars or fireworks, the white ones that go "zeeeeeeee". I put my hand in the water. It was enveloped by the glow. Removing it, white dots glisten on skin for an instant, then disappear. I splashed the surface with my paddle, producing a shower of silver/white/glowing water.

It was a great night for light. A double rainbow on the drive out. Another rainbow as I drove through the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Sunset. Lightning in clouds far to the north. Stars coming out. Biolum. Back into the Canal and into Mosquito Lagoon, the Space Shuttle launch towers light up like a Christmas tree to the south.

I came back to the Canal, and out, into the area I had paddled previously, panicking more mullett to produce an undersea pyrotechnic program. Back in the Canal, the fish must be deep down. No light show other than the one my paddling provided. With one exception. A manatee exhaled, a brief halo about its head. I heard more manatee and dolphins. Tried to spot them with my flashlight, no luck. Stopped at Bairs Cove, manatees nearby, unseen. I put paddle down, propelled yak with palms, glowing water flowing through fingers.

I've done my best to describe bioluminescence. It is something that has to be experienced. I think this time of year is the best time to do it. Darkness is coming earlier. When cooler temps arrive ( this Wisconsin boy still can't put "Florida" and "cold" in the same sentence after 20 years here) the effect does not happen.

A bonus for paddling on a weeknight. No one was on the water. I passed a few cars on the dirt track along the canal to the launch area, but those anglers all left before I did. Driven off by mosquitos I bet. Not a single boat to be seen in two hours. Just me and the drawbridge tender- at least I think someone is in the bridge tower 24/7.