How to Snorkel
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Bocas del Toro Panama is a great place to snorkel. We
have many people come down to visit who have never
gone snorkeling before. Here are a few of the
instructions we give to them when we prepare for
their first encounter:
1. Test your mask and snorkel together to make sure they workd well together.
2. Try on the mask and snorkel on your face to determine fit and comfort.
3. Generally you position the rubber strap that attaches the snorkel to your mask so that the snorkel is just above your left ear. Most snorkels are right handed, but if you are using a special left-handed snorkel, you will attach your snorkel to be just above your right ear.
4. Once you are in the water, take a deep breath, bite down on the mouthpiece and submerge your head in the water.
5. Purge your snorkel of any water that may be in the snorkel shaft by exhaling sharply.
6. Breathe gently using the snorkel at first in case any water remains in the snorkel. Purge the snorkel a second time if needed and do so anytime there appears to be water in the snorkel shaft.
7. Move gently on the surface of the water. Any rapid or abrupt movements may fill the snorkel shaft with water.
8. If you want to dive down and see something a bit closer, then inhale and hold your breath so that you do not take in any water from the snorkel itself. Dive down and explore the ocean below you.
9. As you complete your shallow dive, ascend. Once you are sure the end of the snorkel is above the surface of the ocean, then purge to clear the snorkel shaft.
10. Breathe gently and make sure the snorkel is completely cleared of water before you begin breathing normally.
11. At any time that you are uncomfortable, you can lift your entire head out of the water and breathe. Once you are ready, you may begin the process again.
1. Test your mask and snorkel together to make sure they workd well together.
2. Try on the mask and snorkel on your face to determine fit and comfort.
3. Generally you position the rubber strap that attaches the snorkel to your mask so that the snorkel is just above your left ear. Most snorkels are right handed, but if you are using a special left-handed snorkel, you will attach your snorkel to be just above your right ear.
4. Once you are in the water, take a deep breath, bite down on the mouthpiece and submerge your head in the water.
5. Purge your snorkel of any water that may be in the snorkel shaft by exhaling sharply.
6. Breathe gently using the snorkel at first in case any water remains in the snorkel. Purge the snorkel a second time if needed and do so anytime there appears to be water in the snorkel shaft.
7. Move gently on the surface of the water. Any rapid or abrupt movements may fill the snorkel shaft with water.
8. If you want to dive down and see something a bit closer, then inhale and hold your breath so that you do not take in any water from the snorkel itself. Dive down and explore the ocean below you.
9. As you complete your shallow dive, ascend. Once you are sure the end of the snorkel is above the surface of the ocean, then purge to clear the snorkel shaft.
10. Breathe gently and make sure the snorkel is completely cleared of water before you begin breathing normally.
11. At any time that you are uncomfortable, you can lift your entire head out of the water and breathe. Once you are ready, you may begin the process again.
Sea Turtle Nesting Basics
Saturday, November 24, 2007
We have Leatherback turtles nesting right now in
Bocas del Toro Panama so here is some basic
information on nesting for all sea turtles.
Female sea turtles instinctively return to the same beach as they were born to nest each year. Sometimes they even emerge from the ocean less than one hundred yards from the spot in which they were born.
Eggs are generally laid one month after mating and almost always during the cover of night on a deserted beach. Any light other than natural moonlight and starlight can be seen by the turtles and will cause the turtle to turn back to the sea to wait. Even the most subtle match strikes can be detected.
Sometimes a turtle will abandon a nest if she encounters an obstacle or if the sand does not have the right consistency or moisture content. Another turtle may nest regardless of what else is going on around her. If a turtle fails to nest and returns to sea it is referred to as a “false crawl”
Most females nest at least twice during a given season although certain turtles may nest only once and others may nest as many as ten or eleven times.
Because of their size, each turtle uses a different method to move on land which allows researchers to determine species without actually seeing the turtle.
Female sea turtles instinctively return to the same beach as they were born to nest each year. Sometimes they even emerge from the ocean less than one hundred yards from the spot in which they were born.
Eggs are generally laid one month after mating and almost always during the cover of night on a deserted beach. Any light other than natural moonlight and starlight can be seen by the turtles and will cause the turtle to turn back to the sea to wait. Even the most subtle match strikes can be detected.
Sometimes a turtle will abandon a nest if she encounters an obstacle or if the sand does not have the right consistency or moisture content. Another turtle may nest regardless of what else is going on around her. If a turtle fails to nest and returns to sea it is referred to as a “false crawl”
Most females nest at least twice during a given season although certain turtles may nest only once and others may nest as many as ten or eleven times.
Because of their size, each turtle uses a different method to move on land which allows researchers to determine species without actually seeing the turtle.
Raptor Migration
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Various raptors fly over Panama as part of their
migration highway. Here each Fall we get to
experience a small portion of this migration as part
of or our day to day voyeurism.
In the Fall of 2004, the first intercontinental migration count of raptors was completed along the Panama Canal. They counted the birds ocean to ocean. Both professional and volunteer conservationists descended upon Panama to record the flight of over more than three million birds of prey. There are turkey vultures, broad-winged hawks and Swainson’s hawks in these migrations.
I cannot tell you how many of these same birds we had the opportunity to observe here in Bocas del Toro Panama but what I can tell you is that it is so cool to see. These large groups of big powerful birds fly together and then do acrobatics as they drift on a thermal.
“An ocean-to-ocean count of raptors traveling through central Panama has long been the ‘Holy Grail’ for raptor-migration scientists and conservationists,” explains Dr. Keith Bildstein, Hawk Mountain’s director of conservation science. “Until now, the lack of human willpower and financial resources has forestalled this ambitious and important project.” In the Fall of 2004 they made the dream a reality.
The initial record of raptor migration in Panama was made by a Spanish historian named Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo, who, writing in1526 noted in the Darien of eastern Panama in “Some years in the month of March, I have seen over the space of 15 or 20 days . . . the sky covered with birds almost morning to night. . . They . . . cover the whole sky from north to south and a wide section east to west. Apparently most of these birds are eagles and many large species of other birds of prey.”
Raptors fly only during the day and then only during good weather. So they require safe havens for nighttime and rainy day roosting. The Bastimentos National Marine Park includes protected forest which gives these birds a refuge and resting place during their migration.
In the Fall of 2004, the first intercontinental migration count of raptors was completed along the Panama Canal. They counted the birds ocean to ocean. Both professional and volunteer conservationists descended upon Panama to record the flight of over more than three million birds of prey. There are turkey vultures, broad-winged hawks and Swainson’s hawks in these migrations.
I cannot tell you how many of these same birds we had the opportunity to observe here in Bocas del Toro Panama but what I can tell you is that it is so cool to see. These large groups of big powerful birds fly together and then do acrobatics as they drift on a thermal.
“An ocean-to-ocean count of raptors traveling through central Panama has long been the ‘Holy Grail’ for raptor-migration scientists and conservationists,” explains Dr. Keith Bildstein, Hawk Mountain’s director of conservation science. “Until now, the lack of human willpower and financial resources has forestalled this ambitious and important project.” In the Fall of 2004 they made the dream a reality.
The initial record of raptor migration in Panama was made by a Spanish historian named Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo, who, writing in1526 noted in the Darien of eastern Panama in “Some years in the month of March, I have seen over the space of 15 or 20 days . . . the sky covered with birds almost morning to night. . . They . . . cover the whole sky from north to south and a wide section east to west. Apparently most of these birds are eagles and many large species of other birds of prey.”
Raptors fly only during the day and then only during good weather. So they require safe havens for nighttime and rainy day roosting. The Bastimentos National Marine Park includes protected forest which gives these birds a refuge and resting place during their migration.
Do everything, do nothing
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Sometimes when you plan an eco adventure vacation you
have intentions of doing something active each day of
your vacation. Sometimes you plan on taking a day or
two off in between your excursions. It all depends
upon where you are personally prior to your vacation
and then where you end up once you get there.
The beauty of choosing a Panama vacation is that you can plan one vacation and then make changes as you go along. You may plan on going to the beach each day. Then once you get here you see that it might be a lot of fun to do some river kayaking as well. So you drop one of the beach days for a day kayaking down the rivers on the mainland.
Your family adventure may have included only a day or two of planned excursions but after your first excursion you determine that you and your family want to do more. You can add excursions on to your adventure vacation at any time.
This vacation does not have to be do everything or do nothing. You can find the perfect balance for you and your family so that you experience both the exhilaration and relaxation we have here in Bocas del Toro.
The beauty of choosing a Panama vacation is that you can plan one vacation and then make changes as you go along. You may plan on going to the beach each day. Then once you get here you see that it might be a lot of fun to do some river kayaking as well. So you drop one of the beach days for a day kayaking down the rivers on the mainland.
Your family adventure may have included only a day or two of planned excursions but after your first excursion you determine that you and your family want to do more. You can add excursions on to your adventure vacation at any time.
This vacation does not have to be do everything or do nothing. You can find the perfect balance for you and your family so that you experience both the exhilaration and relaxation we have here in Bocas del Toro.
Tread lightly
Thursday, November 08, 2007
When you head out on an eco adventure what does it
mean to tread lightly? Should you use motorized
equipment? Can you visit places where you must use
only your own power to get to and from such a
location? Or can you use a combination of motor power
and muscle power?
We try to use a combination of both motor and muscle to fuel our eco adventures. There are places within the Bocas del Toro archipelago that are absolutely incredible, but if you were left to sheer muscle power to reach them then you wouldn’t likely get there. Some of the places we visit are a 45 minute ride in one of our motorized boats from our central location. However, once we reach our destination there are precious ecosystems which should be protected from motorized equipment if at all possible. Thus the use of muscle power begins.
We will likely walk or kayak to tour these locations in order to reach the most pristine of locations without disturbing nature any more than necessary. Some of our excursions include a walk of about 10 to 15 minutes and then once at the launching point you might also kayak or swim to get a better view of the island in total. If we tread lightly we are at least doing our part to preserve the area for the future.
We try to use a combination of both motor and muscle to fuel our eco adventures. There are places within the Bocas del Toro archipelago that are absolutely incredible, but if you were left to sheer muscle power to reach them then you wouldn’t likely get there. Some of the places we visit are a 45 minute ride in one of our motorized boats from our central location. However, once we reach our destination there are precious ecosystems which should be protected from motorized equipment if at all possible. Thus the use of muscle power begins.
We will likely walk or kayak to tour these locations in order to reach the most pristine of locations without disturbing nature any more than necessary. Some of our excursions include a walk of about 10 to 15 minutes and then once at the launching point you might also kayak or swim to get a better view of the island in total. If we tread lightly we are at least doing our part to preserve the area for the future.
Majestic Trees
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Majestic Trees. One of the joys of walking through
the jungle here in Bocas del Toro Panama is to
encounter the different kinds of trees. Some of these
trees stand as tall as a high rise building in the
middle of the concrete jungle. Here, however the
concrete, if any, is limited to minimal walkways.
Walking amongst these trees, which can stand hundreds of feet above the ground, makes one realize how small our dimensions are. Here in the rainforest each of the plants and animals has its own place in the life cycle. There are the trees which grow tall quickly to provide shade to some of the other plants which cannot handle the full sunlight. Once the early bloomers have served their purpose they may fall over to make way for sunlight which then permits other plants to take their place in the forest.
The termites and other insects which feed on the different plants in the jungle also help the natural order of things to continue. When they termites feed on a tree for an extended period of time, it ultimately falls making space for the next round of growth. The ants may feed on the fallen tree or upon other plants near the forest floor.
Each time I think about how nature keeps this process going I think of The Trees by Rush where you have the maples asking for more sunglight and the oaks ignoring their pleas. Ultimately, a hole will open up and the maples will get more sunlight as that is just the way things work in the jungle.
Walking amongst these trees, which can stand hundreds of feet above the ground, makes one realize how small our dimensions are. Here in the rainforest each of the plants and animals has its own place in the life cycle. There are the trees which grow tall quickly to provide shade to some of the other plants which cannot handle the full sunlight. Once the early bloomers have served their purpose they may fall over to make way for sunlight which then permits other plants to take their place in the forest.
The termites and other insects which feed on the different plants in the jungle also help the natural order of things to continue. When they termites feed on a tree for an extended period of time, it ultimately falls making space for the next round of growth. The ants may feed on the fallen tree or upon other plants near the forest floor.
Each time I think about how nature keeps this process going I think of The Trees by Rush where you have the maples asking for more sunglight and the oaks ignoring their pleas. Ultimately, a hole will open up and the maples will get more sunlight as that is just the way things work in the jungle.