We left Costa Rica last night after settling customs and immigration and entered the beautiful country of Panama. After navigating 120 nautical miles south and southeast, we reached one of the best kept coral reefs in the Americas: Coiba Island. In fact, Coiba Island is the third largest marine national park in the world.
Once a prison that kept Panama’s worst criminals off the mainland, Coiba Island National Park is a marvel of pristine forests and reefs. Its isolation as a prison protected the area from exploitation and habitat destruction. It wasn´t until 1998 that most of the prisoners were removed from various ¨stations,¨ and the park could open its doors to travelers and researchers. After the last station was removed in 2004, the park surged in popularity, and only the vision of conservationists and certain politicians saved it from ¨development.¨
This morning found us dropping anchor right off the edge of the one and only Granito de Oro islet. An incredible little island, literally no more than half an acre in size, it is a marvel of nature. A million hermit crabs, various species of coral and many, many species of fish make this the best spot in the region for snorkeling. Scissor-tailed chromis, Panamic sergeant majors, night sergeants, three-banded butterfly fish, chancho surgeonfish, spotted-tail grunt, Cortez angelfish, Cortez rainbow wrasse, bicolor parrotfish and tiger-spotted eel welcomed us into their realm. Today, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking and beach-bumming were in our activity list, and most of us jumped at the chance.
At mid-day, we returned to the ship for lunch and for the longest cruising of the week, towards the Panama Canal. No less than 185 nautical miles separated us from the seventh modern wonder of the world. One of the greatest man-made feats, the Panama Canal is a sight one must see in this lifetime, and tomorrow will find us just a few minutes away from it.
