Bona, Otoque and Iguana Island, Gulf of Panama
After finishing a successful crossing on the set of locks at Pedro Miguel and Miraflores at the Panama Canal, the Sea Voyager entered Pacific Ocean sailing into tranquil waters, heading to the islands of Bona and Otoque.
These islands possess an amazing amount of birdlife thanks to the nutrient-rich waters that emerge from the bottom of the Gulf of Panama. This enormous source of food attracts thousands of marine birds; thus, this morning provided us with special sightings of magnificent frigatebirds, brown boobies and brown pelicans.
Later on in the day, Christian wrapped up our visit to the Canal Zone. He updated us with the new project that will expand the canal with a new system of locks by the year 2014.
In the afternoon our guest lecturer from Pomona College, Dr. Katherine Hagedorn, enlightened us with some wonderful rhythms from Latin American music and their unique origins. By late afternoon our officers brought our ship to a seldom visited area near the Peninsula of Azuero: Iguana Island Wildlife Refuge. This hidden paradise is only accessible when the tide conditions are high, the island is surrounded by a rocky reef formation and the strong winds that prevail all year around make it a difficult landing when the conditions are not ideal.
Upon arrival to the island, the hermit crabs curiously started to notice our presence and displayed their unique shells and colors. The magnificent frigatebirds also contributed to color our day with their inflated bright red gular pouch at this nesting site. Following our snorkeling, island exploration and photography session, our guests returned back onboard for an overnight sailing to Coiba National Park.
After finishing a successful crossing on the set of locks at Pedro Miguel and Miraflores at the Panama Canal, the Sea Voyager entered Pacific Ocean sailing into tranquil waters, heading to the islands of Bona and Otoque.
These islands possess an amazing amount of birdlife thanks to the nutrient-rich waters that emerge from the bottom of the Gulf of Panama. This enormous source of food attracts thousands of marine birds; thus, this morning provided us with special sightings of magnificent frigatebirds, brown boobies and brown pelicans.
Later on in the day, Christian wrapped up our visit to the Canal Zone. He updated us with the new project that will expand the canal with a new system of locks by the year 2014.
In the afternoon our guest lecturer from Pomona College, Dr. Katherine Hagedorn, enlightened us with some wonderful rhythms from Latin American music and their unique origins. By late afternoon our officers brought our ship to a seldom visited area near the Peninsula of Azuero: Iguana Island Wildlife Refuge. This hidden paradise is only accessible when the tide conditions are high, the island is surrounded by a rocky reef formation and the strong winds that prevail all year around make it a difficult landing when the conditions are not ideal.
Upon arrival to the island, the hermit crabs curiously started to notice our presence and displayed their unique shells and colors. The magnificent frigatebirds also contributed to color our day with their inflated bright red gular pouch at this nesting site. Following our snorkeling, island exploration and photography session, our guests returned back onboard for an overnight sailing to Coiba National Park.
