Coiba Island, Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama
Our last day in Panama greeted us with a sunny morning and a cruise into the estuary of the Boca Grande River, on the southeastern side of Coiba Island. This island was declared a national park in 1994, but had been a penal colony since 1919, thus protecting its forests and habitats from alteration and invasion.
Off we went in our faithful Zodiacs towards the large river mouth, hence the name Boca Grande (big mouth). An important habitat, one of the little known and even less appreciated, welcomed us into its mysteries. Mangrove habitats or forests occur in areas that in temperate regions would be occupied by salt marshes and are basically buffer areas between brackish water and inland. They are also important nurseries for immature fish, crustaceans, mollusks and many more species. “Mangrove” is not a precise taxonomic classification; but any tree that grows directly from a subtidal or intertidal substrate may be termed a mangrove tree. Mangroves are a group of unrelated woody plants that grow on protected tropical coasts. In Panama and Costa Rica one may commonly find about 6 or 8 species of mangroves, among which we have the red mangroves (Rhisophora mangle); the tea mangrove (Pelliciera rhizophorae); the white mangroves (Laguncularia recemosa); the two species of black mangroves (Avicenia germinans and A. Bicolor); and the buttonwood mangrove (Conocarpus erecta). Birds also accompanied us through the morning: whimbrels, willets, plovers, sandpipers, herons, a bat falcon, king vultures, and many more. What a wonderful morning!
This afternoon we disembarked in the best snorkeling spot in the Eastern Pacific: a tiny, almost cartoon-like, island called “Granito de Oro” – the little grain of gold. Many of us had not snorkeled for a long time or ever; there was no better place in the world to take up anew the habit or begin it. The beach is wide and calm, the tide was low, and the sun was up. Guinea fowl puffer fish, boxfish, jeweled moray, wrasses, parrotfish, snappers, goatfish, barberfish, angelfish, damselfish, and innumerable other species approved of us invading their realm. But few species attracted our attention as much as did the small, bizarre looking, childhood-reminiscent hermit crabs. We all remember playing with them (with pulling and tugging involved) when we were kids. They always manage to evoke good memories for all of us!
Farewell to Panama, hello to Costa Rica!
Our last day in Panama greeted us with a sunny morning and a cruise into the estuary of the Boca Grande River, on the southeastern side of Coiba Island. This island was declared a national park in 1994, but had been a penal colony since 1919, thus protecting its forests and habitats from alteration and invasion.
Off we went in our faithful Zodiacs towards the large river mouth, hence the name Boca Grande (big mouth). An important habitat, one of the little known and even less appreciated, welcomed us into its mysteries. Mangrove habitats or forests occur in areas that in temperate regions would be occupied by salt marshes and are basically buffer areas between brackish water and inland. They are also important nurseries for immature fish, crustaceans, mollusks and many more species. “Mangrove” is not a precise taxonomic classification; but any tree that grows directly from a subtidal or intertidal substrate may be termed a mangrove tree. Mangroves are a group of unrelated woody plants that grow on protected tropical coasts. In Panama and Costa Rica one may commonly find about 6 or 8 species of mangroves, among which we have the red mangroves (Rhisophora mangle); the tea mangrove (Pelliciera rhizophorae); the white mangroves (Laguncularia recemosa); the two species of black mangroves (Avicenia germinans and A. Bicolor); and the buttonwood mangrove (Conocarpus erecta). Birds also accompanied us through the morning: whimbrels, willets, plovers, sandpipers, herons, a bat falcon, king vultures, and many more. What a wonderful morning!
This afternoon we disembarked in the best snorkeling spot in the Eastern Pacific: a tiny, almost cartoon-like, island called “Granito de Oro” – the little grain of gold. Many of us had not snorkeled for a long time or ever; there was no better place in the world to take up anew the habit or begin it. The beach is wide and calm, the tide was low, and the sun was up. Guinea fowl puffer fish, boxfish, jeweled moray, wrasses, parrotfish, snappers, goatfish, barberfish, angelfish, damselfish, and innumerable other species approved of us invading their realm. But few species attracted our attention as much as did the small, bizarre looking, childhood-reminiscent hermit crabs. We all remember playing with them (with pulling and tugging involved) when we were kids. They always manage to evoke good memories for all of us!
Farewell to Panama, hello to Costa Rica!
