Isla Coiba, Panama
After a night of being gently rocked to sleep by the calm sea along the Pacific coast of Panama, we awoke to a spectacular sunrise over an ocean flat as a mirror. Every once in a while, the smooth reflection of the surrounding forest-laden coast of Coiba Island and of the backlit cumulus clouds would be fragmented by the large splash of devil rays leaping out of the water. As we dropped anchor, our own little desert islet, the enchanting Granito de Oro located just to the east of Coiba, beckoned to us with sparkling turquoise waters and a dazzling white beach.
Most of us momentarily resisted temptation and took a couple of early morning walks on the main island whilst the temperatures were cool and the wildlife abundant. However we soon capitulated and spent a paradisiacal day on this islet: snorkeling and swimming in the warm waters, dozing and reading in the shade blessed by a cool breeze or even taking kayaks around the picture book scenery.
Coiba is a National Park and a Marine Reserve, and is rapidly developing a reputation as a “jewel of nature” and one of the world’s top marine sites, earning comparisons with such global treasures as the Galápagos Archipelago. It has so far remained unscathed due to a bad reputation resulting from it having been a penal colony for years, a situation that came to an end as recently as 2001. Blessings certainly do come in disguise! As long as the Panamanian government commits to protecting this marvel in its present pristine condition, it is on its way to becoming a UNESCO world heritage site as part of a corridor that runs from Cocos Island in Costa Rica all the way to the Galápagos in Ecuador.
Extensive coral reefs are absent from most of the eastern tropical Pacific as the coastal conditions are far more suitable to surfers than snorkelers. However Coiba has the second largest coral reef extension in the area, and the largest in Pacific Central America. These are home to spectacular reef fish that are more than a match to their Caribbean counterparts, as I am sure you will agree once you have experienced Coiba snorkeling: king angelfish, gold-rimmed surgeon fish, Moorish idols, bluechin parrotfish just to name a few of my very favourites!
After a night of being gently rocked to sleep by the calm sea along the Pacific coast of Panama, we awoke to a spectacular sunrise over an ocean flat as a mirror. Every once in a while, the smooth reflection of the surrounding forest-laden coast of Coiba Island and of the backlit cumulus clouds would be fragmented by the large splash of devil rays leaping out of the water. As we dropped anchor, our own little desert islet, the enchanting Granito de Oro located just to the east of Coiba, beckoned to us with sparkling turquoise waters and a dazzling white beach.
Most of us momentarily resisted temptation and took a couple of early morning walks on the main island whilst the temperatures were cool and the wildlife abundant. However we soon capitulated and spent a paradisiacal day on this islet: snorkeling and swimming in the warm waters, dozing and reading in the shade blessed by a cool breeze or even taking kayaks around the picture book scenery.
Coiba is a National Park and a Marine Reserve, and is rapidly developing a reputation as a “jewel of nature” and one of the world’s top marine sites, earning comparisons with such global treasures as the Galápagos Archipelago. It has so far remained unscathed due to a bad reputation resulting from it having been a penal colony for years, a situation that came to an end as recently as 2001. Blessings certainly do come in disguise! As long as the Panamanian government commits to protecting this marvel in its present pristine condition, it is on its way to becoming a UNESCO world heritage site as part of a corridor that runs from Cocos Island in Costa Rica all the way to the Galápagos in Ecuador.
Extensive coral reefs are absent from most of the eastern tropical Pacific as the coastal conditions are far more suitable to surfers than snorkelers. However Coiba has the second largest coral reef extension in the area, and the largest in Pacific Central America. These are home to spectacular reef fish that are more than a match to their Caribbean counterparts, as I am sure you will agree once you have experienced Coiba snorkeling: king angelfish, gold-rimmed surgeon fish, Moorish idols, bluechin parrotfish just to name a few of my very favourites!
