Today we started our exploration of Panama. Our introduction began in the beautiful Coiba National Park which is one of the largest marine parks in the world. We spent the entire day enjoying the water and beaches of this protected area.
Our first stop of the day was the picturesque Canal de Afuera Island. A group of dolphins swimming in our bow wave served as the welcoming committee. We landed on a serene beach at a very low tide. The coral reef was extremely shallow and many of us donned our snorkel gear to get a glimpse of some of the fishes and corals of Panama. We also had the opportunity to test our balance on stand up paddle boards. Some of us were inspired to execute headstands on the paddleboards while the rest of us were busy just trying to stay on our feet! Our crew also brought out some of the kayaks and we had the option to paddle around the cove as well.
Lunchtime brought us back onboard while Captain Nettles and his crew repositioned the ship to our second stop of the day, Granito de Oro. This island paradise was our own private resort for the rest of the afternoon. We were able to snorkel again and an assortment of fish and other marine life greeted us including a white tip reef shark, moray jewel eels and a green sea turtle. When we weren’t swimming, we enjoyed the sun and the shade of this pretty little island. While this location didn’t inspire any more headstands, it did inspire some artistic creativity instead.
Back on board the National Geographic Sea Lion we shared the sunset while drinking coconut water straight out of the coconut. Our first day in Panama was a success and we are one day closer to reaching the Panama Canal.
