Coiba Island National Park, Panama
After sailing 190 nautical miles, we finally arrived at Coiba National Park. Located in the Gulf of Chiriquí, this national park is made up of 38 islands. Including the main island and the surrounding waters, it covers 430,825 acres. Identified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2005, Coiba National Park offers rich and well preserved natural resources. Since it served Panama as a penal colony for many years, access to the island was very restricted. Almost by accident, 80% of the islands natural resources have survived untouched and flourished through limited human contact.
We dropped anchor next to a small islet off the northeastern coast of Coiba named Granito de Oro (Little Grain of Gold). Its steep volcanic outcropping forms a structure which holds the beautiful white sand in place, and creates a reef structure which shelters a large variety of beautiful marine life. It is the aquarium of Coiba, offering easy access to eels, turtles and large schools of fish. This park has the second largest coral reef of the Tropical Eastern Pacific, and is one of the principal members of the pacific marine corridor.
As the morning began to pass, many went snorkeling, while others went hiking in the forest on Coiba Island. The temperature of the water invited us to explore beneath the surface. All suited up, we went to explore the water. The fish began to swim very close to us. Moorish Idols, king angelfish, white tipped reef shark and many others swam near us as well. It is import to protect this corridor since it connects several islands in Panama, as well as Cocos Island in Costa Rica and Gorgona and Malpelo in Colombia. We spend a lovely morning in this gorgeous place.
Back on board, we repositioned the ship closer to the ranger station. The galley had prepared a delicious picnic at the ranger station. After we ate lunch, a big crocodile came close to the shore to see if there were any leftovers. It was a lovely day in Paradise. We wanted to stay forever but we had to sail another 120 nautical in order to continue with our expedition. As we sailed through the night, we shared with everyone the importance of this marine corridor.
