Every now and then, nature sees it fit to bless us with moments when everything seems to aligns perfectly. This fall, visit the Indian River Lagoon in a clear kayak to watch the heavens above you come alive with streaks of shooting stars while the water beneath you sparkles with bioluminescence. The bioluminescence in the Titusville area – where we launch our clear kayak Florida tours from – is already a see-to-believe phenomenon for many, but the Orionid and Southern Taurid meteor showers this time around make it even more magical. Once the sun sets and neon-blue trails start going off in the water around your see-through kayak, we won’t blame you if you think you have entered another dimension.
The Best Way to See the Upcoming Orionid and Southern Taurid Meteor Showers in October The Orionid meteors are actually fragments of Halley’s Comet; yes, the same one that swings by Earth every 75 to 76 years. While we won’t see Halley itself until 2061, we do get a yearly encore when bits of its debris collide with Earth’s atmosphere. That’s what creates the Orionids; tiny comet leftovers burning up in flaming infernos as they enter our sky at a wild 148,000 miles per hour!
The Orionids are known for producing fast, bright meteors. On a peak night, you could spot anywhere between 15 to 20 meteors an hour if you are lucky.
Interestingly, among many Native American tribes, meteors were believed to be spirits. Some still believe that these are the souls of the departed traveling to the afterlife. The sudden eruption of a meteor was said to be the spirit of a warrior or loved one, moving through the skies to a better place. For them, watching a meteor shower is still a sacred moment. That said, the Orionids pale (literally) in comparison to the Southern Taurid meteor shower. The latter might not be the flashiest in terms of sheer numbers, but it makes up for it with the slow, dramatic meteors that light up the whole sky. You know those meteors that streak by so fast you are left wondering if you really saw them? Not here. The Southern Taurids are bigger, slower, and burn with an intensity that can be downright mesmerizing, before disintegrating in the atmosphere.
This one is a trace of Comet Encke — one of the shortest-period comets we know of, making its round every 3.3 years. Researchers have found that Encke has been breaking apart for thousands of years, and when our little green planet plows through this stream of comet bits, the extremely-bright Southern Taurid shower is born.
Talk about an ancient time capsule exploding in the sky! Every fireball you will see is a miniature fragment of a comet that’s been wandering our solar system for millennia.
If you have kids, bring them with you on our night kayaking tours and they will have the coolest “show-and-tell” story when they head back to school. Forget the planetarium. There’s no better way to spark their imagination and teach them about the stars and cosmic wonders that few get a chance to witness.
Book Your Tour Before All the Spots are Gone
You can take a trip to the Disney World anytime, but bioluminescence kayaking with rare sight of falling meteors is the kind of memory you only get to make once. At Florida-Adventurer, we promise you a sensory overload in the greatest possible way, and it’s something that no screen or theme park could ever replicate.
This is why we offer these trips in transparent kayaks, so there are no barriers between you and the glow-in-the-dark water. Schools of mullet darting under your seat, dolphins and manatees keeping you company beneath, the shimmering algae reacting to your movements – you can see everything.
And we can’t stress this enough: these meteor showers are fleeting. The Orionids peak for just a couple of nights, and the Southern Taurids, while more spread out, also have their moments. But when they happen, they come together with the bioluminescence in a way that feels almost fated.
Plan an unforgettable romantic getaway or grab your closest buddies for an extraordinary adventure, whatever brings you here, you will be talking about this night for years to come. These tours fill up fast so it’s a good idea to act fast and book now.
