Coiba Island, Panama
Our ship rocked us gently as we made our way during the night to our next destination. We set down our anchor as the sun turned into an orange ball and burst though the low clouds. The coast of Panama could be seen on the horizon and we were just off the lovely beach of tiny little Granito Del Oro, Coiba. Coiba is Panama’s largest island and recently became a national park in 1991. The park includes an area of 270,000 hectares and over 80% includes the ocean. The eastern pacific has very few living coral reefs because the water can be too cool for corals to thrive but here was the exception. The waters surrounding our little jewel were full of life! Over 69 species of fish have been documented here and the coral is abundant and very much alive and healthy.
Suddenly, the skies turned black and the rain started to come down but it didn’t sway the minds of our guests as they came to the beach in search of adventure. Some went off to hike the interior and spotted many manakins as they exhibited their courtship dance. In the water, the plankton was abundant and so were the fish and other creatures. From a sea turtle to a Crown-of-Thorn Sea star, there was something here to get everyone excited. Schools of juvenile damselfish and anchovies lured in the larger feeding jacks. The colorful parrotfish chomped happily on the algae and the Moorish Idols paired off and swirled around each other in a pelagic dance. We even had a rare sighting of a pair of Bifin or Bifin spazus! These creatures travel in small groups and prefer shallow water. The adults can range in size from two fin lengths to six and juveniles can weigh anywhere from twenty to three hundred pounds.
By noon, the rain had diminished and the sun was out again. Soon we were on our way again and back to our ship for lunch. And what a lunch it was- the most delicious salmon that melted in our mouths served with mounds of colorful goodies from our salad bar! We lifted our anchor once more, said goodbye to Coiba and headed into the bay of Panama towards the unknown. What a day!
Our ship rocked us gently as we made our way during the night to our next destination. We set down our anchor as the sun turned into an orange ball and burst though the low clouds. The coast of Panama could be seen on the horizon and we were just off the lovely beach of tiny little Granito Del Oro, Coiba. Coiba is Panama’s largest island and recently became a national park in 1991. The park includes an area of 270,000 hectares and over 80% includes the ocean. The eastern pacific has very few living coral reefs because the water can be too cool for corals to thrive but here was the exception. The waters surrounding our little jewel were full of life! Over 69 species of fish have been documented here and the coral is abundant and very much alive and healthy.
Suddenly, the skies turned black and the rain started to come down but it didn’t sway the minds of our guests as they came to the beach in search of adventure. Some went off to hike the interior and spotted many manakins as they exhibited their courtship dance. In the water, the plankton was abundant and so were the fish and other creatures. From a sea turtle to a Crown-of-Thorn Sea star, there was something here to get everyone excited. Schools of juvenile damselfish and anchovies lured in the larger feeding jacks. The colorful parrotfish chomped happily on the algae and the Moorish Idols paired off and swirled around each other in a pelagic dance. We even had a rare sighting of a pair of Bifin or Bifin spazus! These creatures travel in small groups and prefer shallow water. The adults can range in size from two fin lengths to six and juveniles can weigh anywhere from twenty to three hundred pounds.
By noon, the rain had diminished and the sun was out again. Soon we were on our way again and back to our ship for lunch. And what a lunch it was- the most delicious salmon that melted in our mouths served with mounds of colorful goodies from our salad bar! We lifted our anchor once more, said goodbye to Coiba and headed into the bay of Panama towards the unknown. What a day!
