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An unexpected side trip finds a family happily marooned on an enchanted desert island.
by Ann Weir
photography by Ann Weir, Christine Guinness and Rob Batistic
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08/01/2005
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Our avid fishermen located an underwater pinnacle called
Hannibal on the charts. Its precipice was 50 feet below the surface and then it
sharply dropped thousands of feet. Dropping a line near this seamount, it wasn’t
long before we hooked our first sailfish – quite a thrill, since the largest
fish I had ever caught was a dorado back when I was 12. After half an hour of
reeling we landed it, posed for photos, and quickly released the gorgeous
creature. We hooked three other sailfish and two dorados this morning.
The isla’s dense brush would be impenetrable if it wasn’t for a
river running inland. (Click images to enlarge)
Other day trips were equally fruitful, with dramatic sightings
of both spinner dolphins and Pacific spotted dolphins. These dolphins school in
the hundreds and sometimes thousands. As they feed they sail through the air,
performing all kinds of exciting acrobatics while spinning like tops. Yellowfin
tuna, which we were also fortunate enough to catch, often school just under the
Pacific spotted dolphins. We came upon such a dense pod of these fish that we
could have walked across them.
 Jicaron is only two miles away from a 100-fathom drop in
sea depth,
guaranteeing excellent fishing. (Click image to enlarge)
On two occasions, we packed our tenders full of gear, coolers
and lunch for beach picnics. These were wondrous days, the children off
collecting limpets, playing in the tide pools or swimming in the surf; the
adults playing as well, walking along the beach or relaxing in the shade of the
ceiba trees. While exploring the beaches we discovered a small river – our only
opportunity to get farther inland. The underbrush was so dense everywhere else
that walking 20 feet into it would have required a few machetes, serious hiking
shoes and protective clothing. We waded through thick black tadpoles at the
mouth and then made our way along on the riverbank, climbing over felled trees,
with our engineer cutting his way through the brush for close to a mile. We saw
kingfishers, hummingbirds, the skull of a heron, mating beetles and many busy
leaf-cutter ants. I imagine snakes and other curious creatures were watching us.
 Each afternoon around three, the island resonated with cicadas
harmonizing loud enough to create a symphony that could awaken one from
sleep. (Click image to enlarge)
It was not difficult to imagine what it must have been like to
be the first to discover this enchanted place. Being marooned on this island
would be no hardship. All in all we were removed, remote and relaxed.
Ironically, we never made it over to Coiba.
Visit www.visitpanama.com.
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