Bona, Otoque & Estiva, Gulf of Panama
The weather in Central America is heavily influenced by the famous trade winds, the very same that blew Christopher Columbus’s ship across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 to find the American continent. These winds are constantly blowing across the Atlantic and bringing humidity to the Caribbean side from the sea, making possible the typical humid rain forest that you have seen in movies, with constant pouring rain all year around. Well, that is typical for the Caribbean side of Central America, but does not apply for the rest of it.
When the northern hemisphere enters wintertime, these winds increase in strength and are capable of traveling all the way over the isthmus. Once they have crossed, they become dry but powerful, swiping away all the humidity of the Pacific side of the country, giving to this region a well-known dry season or summer time.
There are few places in Central America, like the Gulf of Panama, where the mountain range is not too high. It is precisely here where those trade winds blow away the warm, sterile waters, creating an upwelling of nutrient-rich waters from the bottom of the ocean, triggering an explosion of life.
This morning we lowered the Zodiacs and went for rides around the islands found within this gulf. Large nesting colonies of sea birds are found this time of the year taking advantage of the upwelling; we had a great time observing not only the nesting areas, but their fishing techniques as well.
We fortunately got to see brown pelicans, brown boobies and even some magnificent frigate birds, males in full mating display, showing their large, red gular pouch fully inflated. As a great surprise, we encountered some blue-footed boobies; although this is not a regular nesting area for them, it is known that they make their way here for foraging.
After our early morning excursions, we had the choice to visit a small fishing town on the near island of Otoque, although some of the guests preferred the option to head to the beach for some swimming. The beach going group got lucky with the sight of a Bryde’s whale, which came up pretty close to the Zodiac, giving us all a great nature encounter.
