Coiba Marine National Park, Panama
Our first day in Panama starts as we approach an island that is located 25 km from the coast of Panama. In fact, this is the largest island on the pacific coast of Central America. This island is a vital link on a volcanic origin chain of Pacific islands connected by a biological underwater corridor. This corridor acts as a highway that connects Coiba Island in Panama, Coco’s Island in Costa Rica and Galápagos in Ecuador. The corridor is an aquatic turnpike busy with wildlife and used by single cell organisms, small fish and even some of the largest mammals we can find on earth: the whales.
Because of this, and the fact that the main island has one of the biggest pieces of primary tropical rainforest in any island of this part of the world, Coiba is the core of a Marine National Park that was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. This park is 72,000 hectares of which 80% is under water, home of the second largest coral reef on the eastern pacific.
The bird watching at the Park rangers’ station in Coiba Island was rewarded by sights of some beautiful colored birds like the Blue-Throated Golden tail, Rufous-Tailed Hummingbird, the Red-Legged Honeycreeper and the odd looking Masked Tityra. As for the ones that decided to go snorkeling in the little island of Granito de Oro (Little grain of gold), Coiba had something special in storage such as sights of White Tipped Reef Sharks, Jewel Moray, Dragon Wrasse, Moorish Idol, and even a Hawksbill sea turtle, WOW !!!! And this was just for the morning. For lunch we enjoyed a delicious BBQ while looking into the ocean.
We lift anchor and set course for tomorrow destination, Otoque and Bona. In the afternoon as we sailed toward our next destination we had a lecture on the history of panama, and just as this finished, WHALE! We all ran outside and were rewarded by the sight of a Bryde’s whale that danced from on side of the ship to the other, allowing everybody to see it, wow! Hand clapping and cheering were the immediate reactions! As if this would not be enough, we also saw dolphins! We enjoyed the acrobatic Bottle nosed dolphins, plus several yellow bellied sea snakes and as closure, the Pan tropical dolphins along with a breathtaking sunset!
What a way to be introduced to my beautiful Panama.
Our first day in Panama starts as we approach an island that is located 25 km from the coast of Panama. In fact, this is the largest island on the pacific coast of Central America. This island is a vital link on a volcanic origin chain of Pacific islands connected by a biological underwater corridor. This corridor acts as a highway that connects Coiba Island in Panama, Coco’s Island in Costa Rica and Galápagos in Ecuador. The corridor is an aquatic turnpike busy with wildlife and used by single cell organisms, small fish and even some of the largest mammals we can find on earth: the whales.
Because of this, and the fact that the main island has one of the biggest pieces of primary tropical rainforest in any island of this part of the world, Coiba is the core of a Marine National Park that was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. This park is 72,000 hectares of which 80% is under water, home of the second largest coral reef on the eastern pacific.
The bird watching at the Park rangers’ station in Coiba Island was rewarded by sights of some beautiful colored birds like the Blue-Throated Golden tail, Rufous-Tailed Hummingbird, the Red-Legged Honeycreeper and the odd looking Masked Tityra. As for the ones that decided to go snorkeling in the little island of Granito de Oro (Little grain of gold), Coiba had something special in storage such as sights of White Tipped Reef Sharks, Jewel Moray, Dragon Wrasse, Moorish Idol, and even a Hawksbill sea turtle, WOW !!!! And this was just for the morning. For lunch we enjoyed a delicious BBQ while looking into the ocean.
We lift anchor and set course for tomorrow destination, Otoque and Bona. In the afternoon as we sailed toward our next destination we had a lecture on the history of panama, and just as this finished, WHALE! We all ran outside and were rewarded by the sight of a Bryde’s whale that danced from on side of the ship to the other, allowing everybody to see it, wow! Hand clapping and cheering were the immediate reactions! As if this would not be enough, we also saw dolphins! We enjoyed the acrobatic Bottle nosed dolphins, plus several yellow bellied sea snakes and as closure, the Pan tropical dolphins along with a breathtaking sunset!
What a way to be introduced to my beautiful Panama.
