Coiba Island, Panama
Overnight we left the beautiful Costa Rica behind us, and sailed approximately 130 nautical miles to immerse ourselves in the equally lovely neighbouring country of Panama. Our first port of call here is Panama’s largest island, 493-sq-km Isla Coiba, in the Gulf of Chiriqui. This island was, until very recently, the site of a federal penal colony, which stopped it from being discovered by developers and maintained it in completely pristine conditions. The entire island is covered with a heavy virgin forest, except for the sites of the ex-prison camps, and rocky headlands project along the coast, separating sandy beaches and stretches of mangrove forests. In 1991 it became the centrepiece of a 270,000-hectare national park, over 80% of which is oceanic. Not only is the number of terrestrial species (birds, reptiles, mammals) very high, as we saw for ourselves during a pre-breakfast walk through the forests of the main island, but there are over 69 species of fish, and the island is home to the second-largest eastern Pacific coral reef and amongst the finest snorkelling to be had in the whole area.
We anchored bright and early just off the picturesque Granito de Oro—“Little Grain of Gold”—a caricature of a little island straight out of a Gary Larson desert island cartoon, where we were greeted by the spectacular leaps and somersaults of lesser devil rays in the throes of courtship. All morning we had a shuttle service to and from the Sea Voyager to the enchanting islet, and whilst some of us chose to relax in the shade on chairs or hammocks, others took kayaks round the islet, and we all enjoyed spectacular snorkelling. Having been away from the tropics for over two months, it was a real joy to immerse myself once more in the environment I love above all others: the ocean. We snorkelled round the islet, several times in some cases, either getting re-acquainted with long-lost “friends” or discovering a delightful new universe. We swam over several species of reef-building corals amongst which flitted a myriad of colourful reef fish. Amongst the nooks and crannies lurked other denizens of the deep: a lobster, an octopus, several moray eels; whilst white-tipped reef sharks gracefully wound their way through the coral heads, and even a young hawksbill turtle appeared as if by magic.
It was with great reluctance that we dragged ourselves away from this little piece of tropical paradise, warding away thoughts of winter looming back home, the prospect made bearable by the knowledge that other adventures in Panama still await us.
Overnight we left the beautiful Costa Rica behind us, and sailed approximately 130 nautical miles to immerse ourselves in the equally lovely neighbouring country of Panama. Our first port of call here is Panama’s largest island, 493-sq-km Isla Coiba, in the Gulf of Chiriqui. This island was, until very recently, the site of a federal penal colony, which stopped it from being discovered by developers and maintained it in completely pristine conditions. The entire island is covered with a heavy virgin forest, except for the sites of the ex-prison camps, and rocky headlands project along the coast, separating sandy beaches and stretches of mangrove forests. In 1991 it became the centrepiece of a 270,000-hectare national park, over 80% of which is oceanic. Not only is the number of terrestrial species (birds, reptiles, mammals) very high, as we saw for ourselves during a pre-breakfast walk through the forests of the main island, but there are over 69 species of fish, and the island is home to the second-largest eastern Pacific coral reef and amongst the finest snorkelling to be had in the whole area.
We anchored bright and early just off the picturesque Granito de Oro—“Little Grain of Gold”—a caricature of a little island straight out of a Gary Larson desert island cartoon, where we were greeted by the spectacular leaps and somersaults of lesser devil rays in the throes of courtship. All morning we had a shuttle service to and from the Sea Voyager to the enchanting islet, and whilst some of us chose to relax in the shade on chairs or hammocks, others took kayaks round the islet, and we all enjoyed spectacular snorkelling. Having been away from the tropics for over two months, it was a real joy to immerse myself once more in the environment I love above all others: the ocean. We snorkelled round the islet, several times in some cases, either getting re-acquainted with long-lost “friends” or discovering a delightful new universe. We swam over several species of reef-building corals amongst which flitted a myriad of colourful reef fish. Amongst the nooks and crannies lurked other denizens of the deep: a lobster, an octopus, several moray eels; whilst white-tipped reef sharks gracefully wound their way through the coral heads, and even a young hawksbill turtle appeared as if by magic.
It was with great reluctance that we dragged ourselves away from this little piece of tropical paradise, warding away thoughts of winter looming back home, the prospect made bearable by the knowledge that other adventures in Panama still await us.
