Here is a great article in the New York Times Travel section that was part of a Latin America travel special. It describes travelers to the Island of Coiba here off the coast near Chiriqui. Coiba is the largest island in the Pacific Ocean south of Vancouver and an incredible ecosystem, both on land and in the ocean.
Granito de Oro is a tiny island that’s a good snorkeling spot in Coiba National Park, Panama. More Photos »
By ELAINE GLUSAC
A LOGGERHEAD turtle swiveled its spotted head toward me, then disappeared beneath the waves as I slipped over the side of the boat with my snorkel, mask and fins. Instantly, a Technicolor underwater world revealed itself: pastel-patched parrotfish, tiny purple-fairy maidens, big-eyed red squirrelfish and a school of purple finned sturgeonfish darting in and out of orange stag coral and purple sea fans. I followed a slow-moving grouper into deeper water and suddenly, swimming out of the depths, six white-tip sharks emerged, sending me thrashing in the boat’s direction, calling for a lift out. Read the entire article here