An Illuminating Trip to Tomales Bay

I have wanted to boat-in camp since I moved to Northern California.  Motor boat, canoe, kayak - I didn't care - I just wanted to be on the water, camping on a beach away from lots of people.  My wish finally came true this weekend in the most spectacular way.  We had decided to rent kayaks from Blue Waters Kayaking after having bought a voucher through one of the local daily deal sites a few months ago.  This weekend happened to be one of the outfitters Bioluminescence tours so we happily upgraded our 2-hour rental to the tour and overnight camping at Tomales Beach.

So, get this straight.  Kayaking, camping on a beach along Tomales Bay and a guided night paddle.  Along with a motor boat to follow you to the campsite so you could bring all your camping gear without having to load it on your kayak. Would you choose to do it any other way?  

Blue Waters Kayak dock in Marshall

Blue Waters is located in Marshall, just south of the famous Hog Island Oyster Company.  We arrived around noon and quickly got outfitted with our kayak, wet suits (just in case) and directions to the campsite.  The water in Tomales Bay is surprisingly warm and the trip out took us about an hour and a half with mostly easy paddling.  We saw pelicans diving for fish, plenty of other birds, jelly fish and a seal popping its head above the water.  Some others we met saw leopard sharks and other wildlife.    

The campsites along Tomales Bay are permit only.  Going through Blue Waters your permit is taken care of along with the luxury of firewood, water, a camping stove and the boat bringing the rest of your gear over.  We camped at Tomales Beach, part of the Point Reyes National Seashore. The beach is a decent size with two outhouses and a few small trash bins.  You should pack out most of what you take though so garbage space is limited.  

Tent set up on Tomales Beach

After setting up camp on the beach, careful to avoid the tide lines, we headed out for a quick hike up the side of the hill.  We ended up in a cow pasture, but we did see some nice views of the bay.

We knew the night bioluminescence tour was still to happen so we took a quick nap and then hung around the camp fire with the other people taking the tour.  Everyone brings their own food and can cook either over the campfire or on the provided camp stove.  The outfitter supplies pots, plates and some small utensils.  

Everyone was getting excited for the night tour.  We started to prepare around 8:30pm for a 9pm departure.  I wasn't looking forward to putting a damp wet suit back on, but knew it was going to get cold out on the water late a night.  Head lamp, stocking hat and jacket on, we headed out for the start of our tour.

Bioluminescence tour - A paddle through shooting stars

According to the Blue Waters site, bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. On dark nights on Tomales Bay, bluish flickers are visible in the water column, which come from blooms of bioluminescent "dinoflagellates". These tiny creatures emit short flashes of light when disturbed.  

Essentially, once the sky gets completely dark, a light show of majestic proportions starts right below you.  It starts with a small glowing of the water around your paddle as it starts to get dark and ends with you feeling as though you are high in the sky, paddling through the most incredible star-lit night sky, all the while surrounded by shooting stars.  

The algae blooms in the water emit the small flickers of light.  As they are disturbed by anything - your hand, the kayak, your paddle or fish in the water - they glow and become extremely bright.  When fish swim through these areas, they look like comets flying through the water.  You can see the trace of their path and often we found ourselves surrounded by a school of fish, swimming in all directions.  Everything is dark except for the flickering in the water and the glow surrounding the other kayak bottoms and paddles in the water.  

The tour is three hours, taking you from Tomales Beach to Pelican Point and back.  These three hours are hands down three of the most incredible hours of my life.  It's a surreal experience that I have done no justice to in these paragraphs.  You have to see it for yourself.  It happens at certain times of the year and Blue Waters has a few more tours later this fall.  It's possible to see this in other bodies of water so do your research and you may be able to find it in other places including the San Francisco bay.  

If it's your first time kayaking and camping like this, here are my list of must-haves:

Preparing to leave

• Plenty of changes of underwear - I know, a weird thing to list first, but if you don't have bathing suit bottoms on under your wet suit...you can see where this is going. So, wear your bathing suit or just bring a few extra pairs.
• Rain jacket or splash jacket - even if it's warm out, kayaking with a waterproof jacket is key.  You'll stay dry and comfortable.
• Head lamp for the night tour - you won't use it much on the water but key for getting back to your tent afterwards.
• Stocking hat and warm clothes - it's chilly on the bay and the fog rolling in will keep it chilly at night and in the morning.
• Food containers that will keep raccoons out. They were all over at night and lots of raccoon footprints by our tent the next morning.

Most importantly, bring your sense of adventure along with your inner child enthusiasm and you will have an experience you will talk about for years to come.  

Happily heading out!

Excited after the night paddle!