Isla Bona and Otoque and the Panama Canal
This morning we found ourselves, after a sail of 190 nautical miles, in the rich waters of the Gulf of Panama. The destination was the islands of Bona and Otoque. This location is a wonderful bird sanctuary thanks to a break in the mountain range of Panama that allows the trade winds to blow over and push this surface water away. Nutrient-rich water from below upwells, bringing a high productivity that forms the basis of a complex web of life. Millions of sea birds take advantage of this phenomenon and nest all through the islands of the Gulf of Panama.
After breakfast we dropped the anchor and we took a Zodiac cruise around these islands. We were marvelled by the hundreds of birds like brown boobies, magnificent frigatebirds and brown pelicans that were flying in great perfect harmony. After this Zodiac cruise, some of our guests enjoyed a refreshing opportunity to swim from the stern and a last round of “torpedo blaster” or banana boat.
The last part of our navigation started as we headed 22 nautical miles to the Panama Canal. We arrived at the Flamingo Marina, and while waiting for our pilot we enjoyed cocktail hour at the sundeck. Before dinnertime of a delicious Panamanian traditional buffet, the Sea Voyager with the Canal pilot lifted the anchor and headed to the first set of locks at Miraflores following Pedro Miguel finishing by 10:00 p.m. at night. These two set of locks lift us 90 feet above sea level. During our passage through Culebra Cut very few people went to bed since this transit on the Canal of Panama brought a lot of intense emotions and excitement to our guests on board the ship.
This morning we found ourselves, after a sail of 190 nautical miles, in the rich waters of the Gulf of Panama. The destination was the islands of Bona and Otoque. This location is a wonderful bird sanctuary thanks to a break in the mountain range of Panama that allows the trade winds to blow over and push this surface water away. Nutrient-rich water from below upwells, bringing a high productivity that forms the basis of a complex web of life. Millions of sea birds take advantage of this phenomenon and nest all through the islands of the Gulf of Panama.
After breakfast we dropped the anchor and we took a Zodiac cruise around these islands. We were marvelled by the hundreds of birds like brown boobies, magnificent frigatebirds and brown pelicans that were flying in great perfect harmony. After this Zodiac cruise, some of our guests enjoyed a refreshing opportunity to swim from the stern and a last round of “torpedo blaster” or banana boat.
The last part of our navigation started as we headed 22 nautical miles to the Panama Canal. We arrived at the Flamingo Marina, and while waiting for our pilot we enjoyed cocktail hour at the sundeck. Before dinnertime of a delicious Panamanian traditional buffet, the Sea Voyager with the Canal pilot lifted the anchor and headed to the first set of locks at Miraflores following Pedro Miguel finishing by 10:00 p.m. at night. These two set of locks lift us 90 feet above sea level. During our passage through Culebra Cut very few people went to bed since this transit on the Canal of Panama brought a lot of intense emotions and excitement to our guests on board the ship.
