San Blas Snorkeling
16 November 2012 | Coco Bandero Cays, San Blas, Panama
Sunny, min 78F, max 88F, water temp 80.5F, Wind NW@5
Two Palm Cay
We are now anchored amidst the most incredible group of cays we have yet seen. The Coco Bandero Cays consist of four cays close together with a couple a half mile east and one tiny one (Two Palm Cay) about 50' in diameter off to the north west about a half mile from the anchorage. Only one is inhabited by one Kuna family, the rest are empty except for coconut palms and white beaches.
This morning we chatted with Jim Bissle on Madcap, cruising friends from Halifax. They are in the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. It was a great signal and fun to chat.
We think this must be still off-season for cruisers because there are just three others here with us (plus a few backpacker boats that come and go between Portobelo and Colombia). In mid-winter they can have 20 plus boats here. The weather has been perfect for snorkeling, so we have been checking out the coral all around us. We are trying to keep a list of the types of fish we see, but there have been so many that we lose track. We have seen: Redband Parrotfish, Stoplight Parrotfish, Midnight Parrotfish, Blue Parrotfish, Yellowtail Wrasse,Fairey Basset (Loreto Coliamarillo), Needlenose, Queen Triggerfish, Spiny Lobster, Foureye Butterfish, Spotted Drum, Yellotail Damselfish, all kinds of snappers, Sergeant Majors by the hundreds, tiny fish like Guppies in schools of thousands and the weirdest of all, a Scrawled Filefish (Lija Trompa). It hangs vertically in the water with its head and silly tiny mouth hanging down. And there are lots that we can't identify. The coral is also healthy and beautiful with Fan Coral, Staghorn coral, Ivory Tube coral, Ivory Bush coral, Scroll coral and sponge corals of all sizes and colors, and lots we cannot identify. Every day we plan to move to a new location, and every evening we find ourselves still here. Maybe tomorrow