We're planning a return trip to the SVI in August.
A year or two ago I heard that the BioBay on Vieques had gone dark.
Does anyone know if it has recovered and if excursions to the bay are being run again?

AFAIK things are fine now. It recovered and I never heard a definitive scientific explanation of what caused it. I think it has happened before.

We will be going in July and it looked like we'd be forced to wait until later into our trip to have perfect moon conditions (which left us less time to pick our weather on the way back). mooncalandar shows when the best times to go are and it introduced me to the idea that the time of moonrise is also important - you can do an early trip before the moon rises. I hadn't thought about thaaaaat!

Great! Looks like we should hit it on a pretty good day.
Now we've gotta find a tour provider.

On our last tour we did a kayak trip and the guide almost managed to drown himself. He was saved by the efforts of a couple of strong swimmers in our party.

Probably won't be using those guys again!

Just booked tours with Abe's for July 5, I hope that wasn't the outfit with the "danger guide". It looks like their the big outfit so we might be doing a lot of bumper kayaking but they seemed to have good reviews, they give you some time to paddle around on your own (some don't) and they do pickups at the parking lot at Sun Bay where I'd prefer to anchor. I'll let you know how it goes.

Our outfitter was not Abe's.
Let us know how it goes.
We'll be there in August, and might want to book with them.
We also may anchor in Sun Bay, so it's good to know about a pick-up there.

We just returned from a ten day charter with SailCaribe (report to follow) and did the biobay tour with Abe's on June 14(no moon). They charge $45 pp if you pay in cash or $50 if you use a credit card. We were on a mooring in Esperanza so we had a pickup right in town. This trip was one of the best things we did on our charter. The bioluminescence is amazing and Abe's did a great job getting us there and back with plenty of free time to explore on your own. Btw, if you have back issues, request a kayak with a seat brace, it made a world of difference when paddling.
Regards,
Psych doctor, formally Mainiac

Thank you Psycdoctor. I'm going to be bringing cash because that's just how cheap I am! We leave tomorrow and I'll be requesting a seat brace per your recommendation. I think the bio-bay is the single coolest thing my wife and I have ever done - now we'll be sharing the experience with her niece, nephew and his girlfriend.

The bio bay is beautiful as ever but the island is in a horrible drought. Abe's is good and I would also recommend Blue Waters Caribbean Adventures, they are on facebook. They have clear kayaks.

Agree on seat brace.
We didn't have seats in our Kayaks on our last trip, and it hurt my back and hips terribly (I'm older and have an iffy back).

We just got back from the biobay. Abe's was fine - the biobay was good. We anchored in Sun Bay, planned to beach the dingy and meet them at the 2nd parking lot. After my nephew catapulted his girlfriend out of the dingy while beaching it, and he got run over (I warned him) we decided said girlfriend would be happier if we met them in Esperanza. Take a left from the long dock, they are on the right. Called and it was no problem.

I requested and got the back support. Sort of a nylon contraption snapped into the kayak. It didn't support me but I think it would if they had spent some time adjusting it. My back and hips didn't fare too well, both are 60 now. I didn't hear anyone else complaining!

If I could change anything I would prefer more time in the middle of the bay playing and less time paddling around the sides but that's just me...