This morning we woke to our first Pacific Ocean sunrise of the voyage, after staying up into the night to experience passage through the last locks of the Panama Canal. Before lunch we circumnavigated Bona Island via Zodiacs, an important nesting site for a variety of alluring birds, including magnificent frigatebirds, brown pelicans, brown boobies, blue-footed boobies, and others. We even saw young chicks still covered in natal down.
Our afternoon consisted of two presentations from our local naturalists: one on iPhone photography and one on the “Culture and Colors of Panama”. To close out the day we were visited by pantropical spotted dolphins, riding our bow wake at a whopping 13 knots.
The marine productivity off the Panama coast is noteworthy this time of year as northeasterly winds stir up the water column and bring nutrients to the surface. Today, we could feel the life thrumming here. Tomorrow, we hope to find it again.
