Glistening Waters, also known as ‘Luminous Lagoon,’ actually lives up to the substantial hype. Located in an estuary near Rock, 1.6km east of Falmouth, the water here boasts a singular charm – it glows an eerie green when disturbed. The green glow is due to the presence of microorganisms that produce photochemical reactions when stirred; the concentrations are so thick that fish swimming by look like green lanterns.
Needless to say, swimming through the luminous lagoon is semi-hallucinogenic, especially on starry nights, when it's hard to tell where the water ends and the sky begins. The experience is made all the more surreal thanks to the mixing of salt- and freshwater from the sea and the Martha Brae River; the fresh water ‘floats’ on the saltwater, so you not only swim through green clouds of phosphoresence, but alternating bands of cold and warm.
Half-hour boat trips are offered from Glistening Waters Marina . Any hotel from Ocho Rios to Negril should be able to organize a trip out here.
There’s a good-value restaurant located at the marina where you can get fresh fish prepared just about any way you like; you’re charged based on the size of the fish. The restaurant opens to coincide with the arrival and departure of tour groups.
