Otoque & Bona Islands and Panama Canal
“The sleepy blue pacific ocean” made honor to its calm waters and let us all enjoy a pleasant sailing night for around 180 nautical miles. The sun caught the Sea Voyager heading to the northern area from the Bay of Panama, where our next destination was awaiting for us.
The islands Otoque, Bona and Estiva are a very important nesting site for seabirds, such as brown pelicans, brown boobies and magnificent frigatebirds, even birds that do not nest here come to feed from these ultra rich ocean waters, like the blue-footed booby. But why these waters are so rich, the answer lays on the marine phenomena known as upwelling, where cold rich water from the bottom of the ocean reaches the surface to replace the warmer waters that the wind blows away.
By Zodiacs we cruise around this seabird’s paradise. Magnificent frigatebirds showing off their red inflated pouches, while juveniles soared the air in search of an easy meal; frigates are not divers like pelicans and boobies, so part of their food comes from stealing it from its real hunters. Boobies are great divers plunging from heights up to 60 feet above the water and diving as deep as 40 feet below the surface. Brown pelicans can not dive as deep but they are the only specie of pelican that plunge dive from the sky.
We had up close and personal views from a couple of baby brown boobies, still wearing their down coats. Also spotted were some 85 inch wingspan frigates and mellow looking pelicans.
After all guests were back on board, we started our journey to the impressive Panama Canal. A glittering moon accompanied us as we went under the Bridge of the Americas, the start of our transit. The first locks glimmering in the evening night resemble an old movie, we all felt transported to the time where this humankind masterpiece was built.
How capable we are, when we want to do it right.
