Cayos Holandeses, San Blas Islands, Panama
“Aahh! Vacation….”. The first day of our voyage was spent at Cayos Holandeses (Dutch Keys) doing whatever we felt like doing – be it snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, shopping for molas (a specialty of the Kuna Indians), SCUBA diving, or beach combing – there was something for everyone. The Sea Voyager was anchored here all day – so we were not at the whim of time. These islands got their name from the Dutch colonizers who considered it part of their realm, but was taken over (as all the San Blas Islands were) by the Kuna Indians, as they fled from the Spaniards on the mainland of Panama.
The island was also visited by a few Portuguese Man-of-Wars’ that were washed ashore by the wind and waves. The pictured siphonophore floats on the surface by a bladder filled with gas that changes shape to catch the prevailing wind. Theses creatures have three types of tentacles of differing lengths (sometimes over 60 feet in length!). The tentacles serve to feed, protect (by stinging), and reproduction. Although they are very beautiful to look at, the stinging tentacles are considered to be the most painful of the jellyfish. Luckily, none of us found this out today. Whew!
“Aahh! Vacation….”. The first day of our voyage was spent at Cayos Holandeses (Dutch Keys) doing whatever we felt like doing – be it snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, shopping for molas (a specialty of the Kuna Indians), SCUBA diving, or beach combing – there was something for everyone. The Sea Voyager was anchored here all day – so we were not at the whim of time. These islands got their name from the Dutch colonizers who considered it part of their realm, but was taken over (as all the San Blas Islands were) by the Kuna Indians, as they fled from the Spaniards on the mainland of Panama.
The island was also visited by a few Portuguese Man-of-Wars’ that were washed ashore by the wind and waves. The pictured siphonophore floats on the surface by a bladder filled with gas that changes shape to catch the prevailing wind. Theses creatures have three types of tentacles of differing lengths (sometimes over 60 feet in length!). The tentacles serve to feed, protect (by stinging), and reproduction. Although they are very beautiful to look at, the stinging tentacles are considered to be the most painful of the jellyfish. Luckily, none of us found this out today. Whew!
