Sten Johansson
Registered
As a collector of seas, I am always excited to visit a new area. I look forward to that first glimpse of a rock jutting out of the water, a piece of sandy beach in the middle of nowhere, or a vague shadow of something moving in the depths of the sea.
I have been to some of the dive sites in Coiba as part of our Malpelo and Cocos trips aboard the Yemaya, but this is my first time to do a full week and an entire trip in this Marine Park. Compared to our other dive guide, Erik Nielsen, Im a newbie to the area. So instead of doing a normal trip report, I would like to write about my overall impression of Coiba.
Coiba is huge!!! About 25 nautical miles long and 5 nautical miles wide, this island used to be a former high-security prison that was closed down and became a national park.
Surrounded by jungle, mangroves, rivers, and creeks, it is said that Coiba is the biggest uninhabited tropical island in the world. It has the largest population of the scarlet Macaw in the whole Latin America. It is also inhabited by saltwater crocodiles and probably by a small population of alligators in the freshwater rivers, though the latter has not been proven. There is a small ranger station on the northwest point of the island, where we pass by to pay a very small park fee for each guest onboard. Six rangers stay there.
The old prison serves as a small navy base these days, or something like that. It is also where the airstrip is located.
During our week here we did a circumnavigation around Coiba to be able to see the different faces of the island, above and below the surface.
You can read the full report here: Coiba Trip Report: June 5, 2012 - Sten Johansson
Sten Johansson
I have been to some of the dive sites in Coiba as part of our Malpelo and Cocos trips aboard the Yemaya, but this is my first time to do a full week and an entire trip in this Marine Park. Compared to our other dive guide, Erik Nielsen, Im a newbie to the area. So instead of doing a normal trip report, I would like to write about my overall impression of Coiba.
Coiba is huge!!! About 25 nautical miles long and 5 nautical miles wide, this island used to be a former high-security prison that was closed down and became a national park.
Surrounded by jungle, mangroves, rivers, and creeks, it is said that Coiba is the biggest uninhabited tropical island in the world. It has the largest population of the scarlet Macaw in the whole Latin America. It is also inhabited by saltwater crocodiles and probably by a small population of alligators in the freshwater rivers, though the latter has not been proven. There is a small ranger station on the northwest point of the island, where we pass by to pay a very small park fee for each guest onboard. Six rangers stay there.
The old prison serves as a small navy base these days, or something like that. It is also where the airstrip is located.
During our week here we did a circumnavigation around Coiba to be able to see the different faces of the island, above and below the surface.
You can read the full report here: Coiba Trip Report: June 5, 2012 - Sten Johansson
Sten Johansson
