Falmouth's most important role in history was its seaport. The waterfront today is a relic of days gone by. However, the sea is still an active part of the town's being. A truly fascinating phenomenon occurs each night with the single shake of a stick. As nightfall descends and the skies darken, the bay explodes with a mysterious glow.
Visitors marvel at one of the most spectacular sights in Jamaica-perhaps the hemisphere.
At night the waters glow like green fire. The phosphorescence is so thick, moving fish appear like the trail of a falling comet. In the early 1800s, Falmouth was buzzing with commercial trade of rum, sugar, and slaves. As the century closed, slaves were freed, foreign demand for sugar dropped and the town began to ebb. If not for the surge of tourism in the 20th century, Falmouth might have been relegated to a footnote in history books.