Havelock (Swaraj Dweep)
Night kayak, bioluminescence in the creek
A dark-night paddle in the mangrove creek when the water lights up around the paddle. Runs on request around the new moon.
Price
₹2,500per person · all-in
About this experience
On dark nights from October to May the creek behind Govind Nagar has plankton that glow blue when the water moves. We take at most six people out in double kayaks for about 90 minutes. Because it needs a dark sky, we only run it from about four days before the new moon to four days after, and not in rain. You ask for a date and we confirm within the day.
We meet at the creek launch at 6.45 pm, fit life jackets and go through the paddle strokes with head torches on. Then the torches go off. It takes ten minutes for your eyes to adjust; after that every paddle stroke leaves a trail, and fish shoot away as glowing streaks. The guide takes you to the quietest channel and lets you drift. We are back at the launch by about 8.30 pm.
Rs 2,500 per person. Minimum age 10. Phones do not film the glow, so leave them in the dry bag and look. Wear something warm over your swimwear; it gets cool on the water after dark. Mosquito repellent is a good idea at the launch.
Before you book
Every life jacket has a small light, and the guide paddles at the back of the group with a torch and a whistle. Kayaks stay together and inside the channel the guide chooses. We do not go out in rain, wind or a strong tide, and a night can be called off as late as 5 pm; you get another night or a refund. Nobody enters the water.
Operator
Included
- Two-seat kayak, paddle and life jacket with a light
- Guide in a kayak with the group
- Head torch for the launch and the way back
- One dry bag per kayak
- Tea at the launch afterwards
You need
- Minimum age 10
- Only on dark nights, roughly four days either side of the new moon, October to May
- A request, not an instant booking: we confirm the night within the day
- Clothes that can get wet, plus a layer for after dark
- No swimming and no getting out of the kayak
Where you meet
The creek launch behind Govind Nagar market, five minutes' walk from Havelock jetty. Come by 6.45 pm; we send a map pin with the confirmation.
Govind Nagar creek bridge
If it is called off
Cancel 48 hours or more before your trip starts: full refund. Cancel 24-48 hours before: half refund. Inside 24 hours: no refund. If the operator or the weather cancels your trip, you are always refunded in full, automatically.