Coiba Island National Park, Panama
Our first day in Panama began with a cloudy sunrise. We had sailed 120 nautical miles through the night from Golfito in Costa Rica. We were getting close to Granito de Oro Islet (one of the several islets that form part of the park) when nature decided to bless us with an early rain. We thought that probably it was going to spoil our activities when suddenly, a pair of pantropical spotted dolphins showed up like messengers of good news. Coiba National Park is one of the most important parks of Panama. In its waters it holds the second biggest coral reef of the Eastern Pacific. Seeing the dolphins playing around the National Geographic Sea Lion was a sign that we were going to have a great day no matter what.
Right after breakfast, we picked up our snorkeling gear and went ashore at Granito de Oro. White sand, a couple of palm trees and lots of hermit crabs were the perfect ingredients that all together made this islet a lovely paradise! Some decided to kayak close to the islet and others had the need to explore the underwater life of this place. Under the water, a bed of hard coral revealed part of the treasures of the area. Little by little, the reef life began to give evidence of good health. Chancho surgeon fish, Moorish idols, bicolored parrot fish, and many other fishes began to swim right next to us. Some showed their behavior of cleaner fish and others, like the Cravaile jacks, just hung around to see whom they could prey upon. There was so much to see and enjoy. While we were concentrated on having fun, the rain began to fall stronger. We could have felt discouraged but we didn’t because it was just a different way of having a good time in this paradise.
It was hard to accept that time had passed so fast and we needed to get back on board. While gathering all the gear, once again nature gave us another lovely present. A Nazca booby flew close to give us the farewell. It was a great treat for us since it´s so hard to see them close to the island. It was with no doubt a nice way to continue sailing towards our next destination, the Panama Canal!
