Bona and Otoque Islands at the Gulf of Panama
One more radiant morning at the tropics! The new day brought the silhouette of distant islands surrounded by mysterious mist. With the proximity of the islands, also came the land birds that rapidly started descending close to the National Geographic Sea Lion, drawing circles around antennas and equipment. In fact, a solitary peregrine falcon –perhaps exhausted after fighting the strong winds- decided to land and perch on top of the ship for a few minutes. The peregrine falcon is one of the main predators for the bird colonies that we were about to visit. Bona, Otoque and Estiva form a small group of islands that receive the prodigious blessing of the strong winds from the north. The same wind that agitates trees and foliage will also lift the organic matter that has been sinking in the bottom of the ocean. That is exactly the little treasure for the brown boobies, cormorants and pelicans that constantly patrol the skies and the seas in search of food.
After a long sailing from the National Park Coiba and the island of Granito de Oro, the National Geographic Sea Lion conquered these cold waters of the Gulf of Panama to permit our guests some enjoyable Zodiac rides. The time was right for sending our first round of island cruises. In the meantime, and while half of the guests were out on fascinating exploratory boat rides, our guests on board could view a special presentation by David McCullough. A man, a plan, a canal, Panama – this has been a marvelous way to fully understand the history of the canal throughout the years.
After retrieving all Zodiacs, our guests had some well-earned relaxing time while the National Geographic Sea Lion repositioned towards our reunion point with the Panama Canal Pilot. During the short transit through small islets and rocky points, many more hundreds of birds were sighted by the guests who remained alert at the weather decks. Our naturalists were always around and available for questions and directions to spot more of the fascinating avifauna.
Later on this day, the hotel manager announced a traditional “ceviche party” in order to prepare for the evening transit of the Panama Canal. The transit started with the magnificent view of Miraflores Locks. This set of locks separates the Pacific Ocean from millions of fresh water coming from the Gatun Lake. Originally, all this fresh water was mostly dumped by the Chagres River over a different watershed in Panama. Before the construction of the Panama Canal, all the rain water coming from the rain forest in Panama used to flow freely through the Isthmus of Panama into the Caribbean Sea Basin.
Somehow, in between locks and maneuvers, our guests found the time to sit down and taste a special Central American dinner prepared by the galley. All too soon, it was time again for more night time pictures of a perfectly lit Panama Canal. By the end of the night we learned the National Geographic Sea Lion would be resting in the calm waters of one of the largest lakes created by the hand of men: Gatun Lake.
