New-moon nights only. Every kick fires the plankton into blue light. You are swimming inside a slow-motion firework.
On dark-moon nights the plankton in this water fire when they are disturbed, so every stroke pulls a trail of cold blue light behind it and fish move below you as streaks.
It needs no moon, no cloud and no lights on the beach, which is a specific set of conditions rather than a nightly performance. When it does happen it is hard to describe afterwards without sounding as though you are exaggerating.
Stay with us
A beachfront cottage, the boatman picks you up at 10 p.m.
Stay with us — A heritage two-cabin kettuvallam, private chef, full silence.
The conventional advice is one night. The right answer is three — long enough that you stop checking your phone, short enough that you're still in love with the boat.
