Coiba Island, Panama
This program has continued to be exciting, wonderful and full of unexpected sightings. I think we can all agree that every day so far has been a “wow!” We crossed into Panama last night and arrived this morning escorted by dolphins into the beautiful island of Coiba, Panama’s latest marine national park.
We dropped the Zodiacs in the waters for a pre-breakfast outing. Some of us went on land to the station head quarters for some early birding. Others went for a kayak outing in a nearby adjacent bay. The reports were great; the birders came back with the unexpected sighting of a salt-water-faring crocodile patrolling the beach. The kayakers came back with reports of troops of monkeys running down the beach, sights of hawksbill turtles, sounds of howler monkeys in the distance, and views of the Coiba endemic “Agouti.” All of this before breakfast…not too bad!
In the later part of the morning, we repositioned in front of Granito de Oro, a small sandy island just off shore. We enjoyed snorkeling, kayaking, and relaxing in this tropical “Far Side” island setting. White tip reef sharks, king angel fish, blue damsel, and colorful parrot fish were some of the sightings. The combination on this trip of rainforest and coral reefs is definitely a winner.
At 1:00 we headed back to the ship to continue our voyage toward the Panama Canal. 18 hours ahead of pure “Open Ocean,” and chances for more marine sightings. Within a short time, we had sightings of bottlenose dolphins and unexpected sightings of yellow bellied sea snakes. We’re on our way in high spirits.
This program has continued to be exciting, wonderful and full of unexpected sightings. I think we can all agree that every day so far has been a “wow!” We crossed into Panama last night and arrived this morning escorted by dolphins into the beautiful island of Coiba, Panama’s latest marine national park.
We dropped the Zodiacs in the waters for a pre-breakfast outing. Some of us went on land to the station head quarters for some early birding. Others went for a kayak outing in a nearby adjacent bay. The reports were great; the birders came back with the unexpected sighting of a salt-water-faring crocodile patrolling the beach. The kayakers came back with reports of troops of monkeys running down the beach, sights of hawksbill turtles, sounds of howler monkeys in the distance, and views of the Coiba endemic “Agouti.” All of this before breakfast…not too bad!
In the later part of the morning, we repositioned in front of Granito de Oro, a small sandy island just off shore. We enjoyed snorkeling, kayaking, and relaxing in this tropical “Far Side” island setting. White tip reef sharks, king angel fish, blue damsel, and colorful parrot fish were some of the sightings. The combination on this trip of rainforest and coral reefs is definitely a winner.
At 1:00 we headed back to the ship to continue our voyage toward the Panama Canal. 18 hours ahead of pure “Open Ocean,” and chances for more marine sightings. Within a short time, we had sightings of bottlenose dolphins and unexpected sightings of yellow bellied sea snakes. We’re on our way in high spirits.
