I am hoping someone can help me answer a sea life question.

Wondering what the electric blue phosphorescence or jelly fish type things are that sometimes come out at night floating on the water and if they have a specific timing that they are out.

Last year for the sunset cruise February 15th we saw them and I would like to do so again so trying to figure out what timing is good if possible.

Are they small purplish like? 2 or 3 inches accross

Look here> http://www.guidetobelize.info/en_dangerous.html

Oh man. Above link. I thought the spider bite was gruesome - then I saw the snakebite. Yuck.

Phosphorescence and Bioluminescence. Lots of different creatures in most seas but the one you see at the surface when the water is disturbed are plancton size thiggy-ma-jigs.

We had a close up look at some that looked like little squirming worms. They were right along our dock in very shallow water.

Smarty pants..... they also come in squirmy wormy sizes too.

Tacogirl, if i tell you a secret ,promise not to tell.
It seems like everything (all life) has just two rationale.
Survive and Reproduce and really i think survive is just to serve the latter... so when i'm trying to understand something like Bioluminescence i'm thinking they are trying to find one another with the glowing so they can have sex.
I've read that they meet near the surface at a time shortly after dark. Jellies reproduce usually all at the same time and when the water is warmer.
I dont think the moon is a factor for the jellies like it is the corals.
My guess is any warm calm night, just after dusk.
my observation is movement makes them fire their lights, something like stirring the water or the boats prop-wash.
The 'What The Hell Is It' book says it not a true jelly fish but a class called Ctenophora or 'Comb jellies'.

Thanks for all your replies. I am keeping my fingers crossed we see them again on Saturday night.

That pic champion posted the tentacles or what ever you could call them kind of looked like what I saw was electric blue in color - very stunning.

I found this pic http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/2604190306_c3bcd8eb19.jpg?v=0

I thought they were longer looking over round but hard to say as it has been so long since we saw them.

I checked Phosphorescence and this seems to be closer from what I remember. http://www.electric-lady-land.com/037.%20Calcite,Tx.-Ph2.jpg

Here is Ctenophora pic http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Ctenophora.jpg