Islas Bona and Iguana, Gulf of Panama
Early this morning all four Zodiacs took off from the stern of the Sea Voyager as the sun barely began its ascent in the sky. The wind was fresh off the gulf waters. At this time of year the northeast trade winds blow over the Isthmus of Panama with nary a mountain range to hinder its travels. The consequences of the trades on the gulf waters are too cause up-welling, which bring nutrients to the surface. From there the food chain continues with little interruption, culminating in large sea bird colonies. For this reason, we have come to the little islands of Boná, Estivá and Otoque. For that matter, that is why a small human settlement exists on the other side of the island as well. They arrived for the fishing, and we saw tiny dugouts with the owners using handlines over the side. Larger fishing boats also plied the waters at a distance.
Brown pelicans, despite their larger size and determination, frequently lost the battle for nesting material to the magnificent frigatebirds. Blue-footed and brown boobies hugged the cliff sides or used the pitahaya cactus for roosting.
After the second Zodiac expedition returned after breakfast, the ship left and set her sights for the island of Iguana. The mid-day sail left us with time for a presentation by Dr. David Silverberg from the National Geographic Society with brought together a lot of information in an understandable manner about the importance of Central American geography, oceanography, climatology, in a great synthesis of facts.
During the afternoon, we cruised south to the small, barely perceptible island off the Azuey peninsula known as “Isla Iguana.” I will admit that we never saw an iguana. It's breeding season and the trails where females can be found nesting are blocked off for their protection. But we visited a magnificent Frigatebird colony where males with inflated gular pouches were seen both perched and in the air. Females and juveniles flew overhead. The eerie hollow drumming of males courting was heard through the brush as we walked through a nesting colony.
My favorite was the snorkeling, where despite somewhat green water (we had just passed a spring tide), we saw hawksbill turtles, puffer fish and an enormous fine-spotted moray eel. It was most bizarre to see how close the king angel fish came to the moray. At one point I thought he had been caught by the moray (our pre-conceived notion that morays with their open mouths are perennially on the attack), but later moved off in perfectly fine fettle. What a day!
Early this morning all four Zodiacs took off from the stern of the Sea Voyager as the sun barely began its ascent in the sky. The wind was fresh off the gulf waters. At this time of year the northeast trade winds blow over the Isthmus of Panama with nary a mountain range to hinder its travels. The consequences of the trades on the gulf waters are too cause up-welling, which bring nutrients to the surface. From there the food chain continues with little interruption, culminating in large sea bird colonies. For this reason, we have come to the little islands of Boná, Estivá and Otoque. For that matter, that is why a small human settlement exists on the other side of the island as well. They arrived for the fishing, and we saw tiny dugouts with the owners using handlines over the side. Larger fishing boats also plied the waters at a distance.
Brown pelicans, despite their larger size and determination, frequently lost the battle for nesting material to the magnificent frigatebirds. Blue-footed and brown boobies hugged the cliff sides or used the pitahaya cactus for roosting.
After the second Zodiac expedition returned after breakfast, the ship left and set her sights for the island of Iguana. The mid-day sail left us with time for a presentation by Dr. David Silverberg from the National Geographic Society with brought together a lot of information in an understandable manner about the importance of Central American geography, oceanography, climatology, in a great synthesis of facts.
During the afternoon, we cruised south to the small, barely perceptible island off the Azuey peninsula known as “Isla Iguana.” I will admit that we never saw an iguana. It's breeding season and the trails where females can be found nesting are blocked off for their protection. But we visited a magnificent Frigatebird colony where males with inflated gular pouches were seen both perched and in the air. Females and juveniles flew overhead. The eerie hollow drumming of males courting was heard through the brush as we walked through a nesting colony.
My favorite was the snorkeling, where despite somewhat green water (we had just passed a spring tide), we saw hawksbill turtles, puffer fish and an enormous fine-spotted moray eel. It was most bizarre to see how close the king angel fish came to the moray. At one point I thought he had been caught by the moray (our pre-conceived notion that morays with their open mouths are perennially on the attack), but later moved off in perfectly fine fettle. What a day!
