What can we see on Coiba?

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Coiba has a huge number of fish species and they are present in large numbers. You are likely to see schools of surgeon fish, parrot fish, chromis, panamic sergeant majors, blue-lined snappers and more. The reefs are inhabited by king angelfish, black-nosed and three-striped butterfly fish, rock-mover wrasses, blennies, hawk fish, moray eels, rock lobsters and octopus. You may also see a large cubera snapper or a white-tipped reef shark (harmless to humans), hawksbill turtles and olive ridley turtles. The reefs are visited by jacks, chubs, black-tail barracudas (harmless), and sometimes by eagle rays. Out in the big blue ocean, there are wahoos, tuna, roosterfish and spotted dolphins. Humpback whales visit Coiba waters from the beginning of August to the end of October. To give you an indication of our success rate: we see turtles, rock lobsters, blue-fin jacks and moray eels on 24 out of 25 trips. During the season, we see humpback whales, often females with calves, on three out of four trips. Our guide and captain do their best to help you find them.

 

On land we often see the Coiba endemic species of howler monkey and agouti (a kind of guinea pig on high legs). White-faced capuchin monkeys are also around. And then there are of course many birds… The scarlet macaw is one of the most striking but is only relatively often seen in the months January to March. Other interesting birds are the endemic coiba spinetail, the lance-tailed manakin, the red-rumped woodpecker, bare-throated tiger heron and the king vulture. Out at sea, you can see brown and blue-footed boobies, terns, magnificent frigate birds and occasionally galapagos shearwaters.

    

 

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3. What kind of boat do you use?

We use a 24 ft (8m) fiberglass boat with a 100 hp four-stroke outboard engine. We have life vests, radio and a GPS on board. The boat has a shade cover as well.

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4.Are the seas rough? Do I need sea-sickness pills?

So far we have not had people hanging over the sides of the boat, so we assume it is not so bad. Furthermore, we mostly travel in the morning when the seas are relatively calm. Around Coiba the sea is generally calm. Some guests have taken pills partly because they were nervous about it. The seas are generally roughest when the wind picks up – in the afternoon of February and March and April. The seas are generally not rough when it just rains but a small bit of wind during a rain shower might get the splatter increased.

 

5.Is it safe for children?

Yes. We have taken families with children as young as 5 year old. We oblige children to snorkel/swim with a life vest, but we also make sure that one of our assistants stays with the child all time. That way the adults do not need to worry. The assistant shall help the child by becoming a very kind ‘sea-horse’ and so they swim along with the group. Children under 4 are maybe more difficult, but we would expect the parents to take turns to be with them also. It may be needed to bring snorkels for the children as we only have ‘normal’ snorkels available (small medium and large sizes for adults). Some small children do not actually snorkel but use goggles for swimming and just look down once and a while, holding on to the our assistant seahorse.

Often, children play part of the snorkel time on the beach with the many hermite crabs or just finding treasure. Some are initially scared but soon find themselves enjoying everything.

Especially in the off season (April – June and October – November), we recommend that if you are a family with more than one small child, get in touch with usand we’ll try to make a special offer for your family alone.