Gulf of Panama and Panama Canal
We began our Thanksgiving enjoying calm seas as we cruised through the Gulf of Panama, headed towards one of the Wonders of the Modern world, the Panama Canal. Along the way we had time to visit the islands of Bona and Otoque, some twenty miles from the entrance to the Canal. These two little islands are home to literally thousands of seabirds, feeding on the plentiful marine life found in these waters. Indeed, we could see the difference in the waters with our own eyes, the clear waters of Isla Coiba had been replaced by the green nutrient rich waters of the Gulf of Panama. Here the winds that blow across the isthmus, result in a phenomena known as Oceanic upwelling, as the winds push the warm surface waters away from the coast, which causes the nutrient rich waters from below to rise to the surface, and the marine life blossom as a result – algae, shrimp, fish and so on all multiply.
We explored these islands by Zodiac, took a brief swim to cool off and then headed for the entrance to the Panama Canal, where we eagerly awaited the arrival of our Canal Commission Pilot. We then began our transit, passing under the Bridge of the Americas en route to Gatun Lake. We all watched in awe as this process began, the locks lifting our vessel up-and-over Panama!
This evening we dropped anchor in Gatun Lake, anxiously awaiting new adventures tomorrow, as explored some of the islands formed by the creation of the Lake and then we would continue our transit from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.
We began our Thanksgiving enjoying calm seas as we cruised through the Gulf of Panama, headed towards one of the Wonders of the Modern world, the Panama Canal. Along the way we had time to visit the islands of Bona and Otoque, some twenty miles from the entrance to the Canal. These two little islands are home to literally thousands of seabirds, feeding on the plentiful marine life found in these waters. Indeed, we could see the difference in the waters with our own eyes, the clear waters of Isla Coiba had been replaced by the green nutrient rich waters of the Gulf of Panama. Here the winds that blow across the isthmus, result in a phenomena known as Oceanic upwelling, as the winds push the warm surface waters away from the coast, which causes the nutrient rich waters from below to rise to the surface, and the marine life blossom as a result – algae, shrimp, fish and so on all multiply.
We explored these islands by Zodiac, took a brief swim to cool off and then headed for the entrance to the Panama Canal, where we eagerly awaited the arrival of our Canal Commission Pilot. We then began our transit, passing under the Bridge of the Americas en route to Gatun Lake. We all watched in awe as this process began, the locks lifting our vessel up-and-over Panama!
This evening we dropped anchor in Gatun Lake, anxiously awaiting new adventures tomorrow, as explored some of the islands formed by the creation of the Lake and then we would continue our transit from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.
