Monday, January 18, 2010

Fishing for Marlin in Panama





Fishing for Marlin in Panama

All Stories by Jon Scwartz

I am having a grand time here at Tropic Star Lodge in Panama. The setting here is incredible, and the fishing is fantastic. It's a fishing resort deep in the heart of the Darien Jungle in Panama, 100 miles from the nearest paved road- or maybe any road for that matter.

I wrote an article about this place for Sport Fishing Magazine after my first visit here, which you can read here Fishing and Travel Articles by Jon Schwartz

I came here to witness 'His Majesty the Black Marlin' jump within meters of the boat. They get huge here, and they hit big trolled baits about 10 minutes offshore, depending on the season. When I say big baits, I mean BIG. Here's a mate holding a live bonito bait just before he bridles it to a huge circle hook and tosses it overboard to entice a bite from a monster:



The marlin are pretty thick here right now- good numbers of them. The bite usually happens first thing. First baits in the water get bit. As soon as the reel starts screaming they back the boat down at warp speed and the fish launch themselves all over the place. The fights are full-on adrenalin rushes. It's hard to get good photos because the boat is backing down so hard to catch up with the fish and there is water coming over the transom.




Although the fish get huge, the Humboldt current here, according to several staff, make for an oxygen-poor environment at deeper depths. Instead of heading for the deep like they do in many other locations, the fish tend to stay near the surface. For that reason, they are able to use much lighter tackle- 50 pound rods and reels versus 80 and 130 pound gear that is used in many other big marlin locations- so the interaction with the fish is much more intimate. Smaller boats lower to the water with lighter tackle like they have here make for front row seats to big fish mayhem!

Last year, the first day on my first visit to Tropic Star Lodge, I lucked out with a photo that made it onto the cover of Marlin Magazine.



I kind of had a feeling that after having such luck on my last trip, I would have to do some dues-paying this trip, and my feelings were right. Although the fishing here turned out to be much hotter than last year, I did a lot of zigging when I should have been zagging. I accompanied one couple who caught 8 marlin here in six days ( I think 5 blacks averaging 400 pounds and 3 blues averaging 300), but their best luck occurred on days when I was on other boats.
This all started to mess with my head; I started to think I was bad luck, and went looking for all sorts of things that may have resulted in the hex. Could it be my white socks? I tried wearing the same shirt for 4 days, stuff like that.
Catching fish is hard, but catching a photo of a jumping fish is many times harder. Not only do I have to be on the right boat that is experiencing the action, but the fish has to jump, the lighting has to be right, I have to maintain my balance in the midst of a lot of action, my camera settings have to be spot on, and my gear has to be functioning perfectly. The below shot is one of me posing. In the heat of the battle it's all I can do to stand up straight, and you'd never find me sitting down.



Anyway, as soon as we got here, they had some children from the small village across the bay come and do some folk dancing. It was awesome! It made me realize I should have brought my kids ( I have three girls). My kids are bilingual, and my wife is from a similar-sized town in Mexico; they would have become best buddies with these kids right off the bat.



I took some neat pictures of them, with them, and then made a CD for their parents so they can get them printed the next time they travel to Panama City. For most, if not all, of the parents and children, these are the first photos that have ever been taken of them! You should have seen the look on their faces when I downloaded the shots and showed them to them on my laptop. They are such dolls. Que bonita!



I was super stoked to hang out with them too, but don't show my wife these pics of my new Panamanian beauties!

I talked with their teacher, and it turns out that that her husband is the head of the school at the village. I want to go visit the village tomorrow and hang out with the kids and their parents. Many of them work here at the resort. It's a special feeling, you meet the kids, and then go out on boats manned by their fathers. The personal aspect of it makes it just that much more exciting to me, because I am also a 3rd grade school teacher.



I am already thinking that the coolest thing to do would be to maintain contact with these kids and the teachers and their parents, and have them be pen pals with my own students in San Diego. They are all about the same age. I'll be able to speak with them as I can get by in Spanish, and my wife and daughters can help out with anything I can't handle. It would be terrific if I was able to combine teaching with my sportfishing photography and travel writing and involve my students as well as my own family!!!

I was fishing with Richard and Edie Kearley for several days as well. They were very fun to hang out with. Here is a photo I took of Edie on the way out to the fishing grounds.



And here's a photo of Richard 'going great guns' on a 60 pound tuna:



Below is a shot of Richard with a tasty dorado.There's so many dorado here, they are like pests. Pretty funny considering that these same fish would make for trophy fish on many other fishing excursions.

They ended up landing 8 marlin in 6 days of fishing, but almost all of them were landed on days that I wasn't with them. One day they had 4 black marlin! Of course I wasn't with them that day. Arrgh!!

I also accompanied famous fly fishing angler and multiple world record holder Margo Vincent and her grandson Kyle Vincent.



Kyle set a (pending) new world record for mullet snapper at 24 lbs! You can bet his grandma was super proud of him! Everyone kept telling him, "You realize you have the coolest grandma in the world, don't you?"



He also landed a 375 pound blue marlin earlier in the same day. Here's him fighting the big blue as Margo looks on from the bridge:



Pretty amazing for a 12 year old, no?!

Both Richard and Kyle kept Dockmaster Albert Battoo busy recording their various achievements. With his first black marlin in day one, Richard his Royal Grand Slam: catching one of every type of billfish in the world!

The funny thing is that the most elusive billfish, the spearfish, was actually the first one that he landed like 30 years ago. I took particular interest in this because I wrote a 2500 word feature article about spearfish that will be featured in the February issue of Marlin Magazine, which should be on newsstands in about 3 weeks.

Here's Richard having his Royal Grand Slam recorded by Albert Battoo.



And here is Albert, one day later, making the sign for Kyle Vincent's pending world record 24 pound mullet snapper.





In addition to taking fishing related photos, I enjoy portrait, scenic, and architectural photography. I took a photo of the spa area and got this neat shot of Marisol the masseuse working with a client:

In addition to taking fishing related photos, I enjoy portrait, scenic, and architectural photography. I took a photo of the spa area and got this neat shot of Marisol the masseuse working with a client:



Finally I ended my week's stay with a visit to the nearby village of Pinas.

I wanted to check out the computer lab that is being set up and meet up with some of the folks I met last year there.



Jose ( pictured on the right) works with Tropic Star and also lives in the village. He introduced me to the teacher of the school (on the left) and they showed me the lab. It'll be cool when it's up and running in the next couple of months so I can communicate with my friends down there!



On the way out of Pinas I met up with one of the mates of the boats that I had been on over my week's stay. His name is Alexi. He is Margo Vincent's favorite mate and is probably going to end up as a captain at some point.

He also happens to be super friendly and he introduced me to his children when I walked by the house. It's funny to see these guys chase around monster fish all day, every day, and then see them relaxing at home. What seems like extreme angling to many is for them another day on the water. They've undoubtedly wired and released thousands of huge marlin, perhaps as much or more than anyone in the world. (FYI "wired" means grabbed onto the leader, brought the fish to the boat, and removed the hook). Thrill seeking anglers from all over the world travel to Pinas Bay to take part in a ritual that these fellows perform as a matter of course. Here's marlin whisperer Alexi with children:



Last year, I took a lot of scenic and architectural shots when I was at the lodge. It turns out that some of my photographs will be included in the soon to be released book by Guy Harvey called Panama Paradise: A Tribute to Tropic Star Lodge.



The book has 334 pages, and in it, Guy Chronicles the beginnings of the lodge in 1961 to the present day. Needless to say I am thrilled and flattered to have my work featured in Guy Harvey's book!



I am writing an article about Panama for the World Billfish Series Magazine. The editor of the publication Sam White suggested that I might like to get some scenic shots of Panama City, so I hired Panama's best guide, Luis Singh, to take me on a tour of the city. I went with him last year but needed to get more material. I desperately wanted to get good night shots taken from on high that showed the city's skyline, but after touring the city with Luis, I began to think I might strike out.
Most of the skyscrapers in the city- and there are a lot of them-are closed to the public. They are the homes of the ultra wealthy. Not sure if you know but Panama has a lot of new development and new buildings.



Trump Towers type of stuff, but even richer, and a new John's Hopkins Hospital branch, a bustling modern business sector, and tons of high-cotton shopping malls that feature stores like Rolex, Gucci, and all the rest.



After a series of unsuccessful attempts at getting a good vantage point for a shot, I decided to get crafty. Luis let me off in front of a popular tourist spot, and suggested I try to find the best spot I could on foot. I talked my way into the lobby of a posh 51 floor condo high rise, and the bellman let me onto the exercise room on the deck of the 15th floor. I was so excited! He left me there alone, though, and the room was so hot, I ventured out into the hallway to cool off.
A couple walked by and we started talking. The next thing I knew they were asking me if I wanted to go up and take pictures from the penthouse on the 51st floor!!! The bellman came back to keep an eye on me and sees me with my new friends, so I say, "These kind folks are gonna take me up to the penthouse!" All he could do was smile.



I had with me my Nikon D700's and several of my favorite lenses, and I got some AWESOME shots that I will post and include in that article for the Would Billfish Series magazine. I was so happy to be up there by myself, I was simply ecstatic! I completely lost track of time, and when I returned to Luis's car two hours later he said in a panic, "What happened to you??"



I proudly pointed to the tallest building in the sky and said, "You see that one? I was on the penthouse taking pics of the city!!!!" We had a laugh about that and his eyes bugged out when I showed him the shots. Yahoo!!!



Posted by Jon Schwartz at 3:44 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Nov 30, 2009
Albino Sailfish Caught by Angler Fishing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico!





Article by Jon Schwartz, http://www.bluewaterjon.com/


Sailfish are one of about 9 species of fish known as "billfish". All billfish have long pointy bills at the tip of their nose. Sailfish aren't as big as some of their cousins, like the broadbill swordfish or blue and black marlins that can weigh over 1000 pounds, but they make up for it in looks and acrobatic leaps.



The Spanish term for them is Pez Vella: beautiful fish. Their fanlike dorsal fins make them instantly recognizable, and when they're excited, they flash iridescent mixes of magenta, red, yellow, and aqua hues.



At other times, they assume dark tones, allowing them to sneak up on prey.



That's what makes the one that Matt Dye just caught off Cabo San Lucas so incredible. On Saturday, Nov. 28, Dye landed a ghostly white albino sailfish, which may be truly one of the rarest billfish catches in the world. And yes, the eyes were reddish pink! This fish must have stuck out like a sore thumb in the ocean!How on earth a fish of this size, with no ability to blend in, managed to survive in the wild remains a mystery for the moment; marine scientists will no doubt start chiming in with theories and insight in the coming weeks.


Matt, who hails from Alexandria Virginia, came down to Cabo to visit with Bob Gist, his wife Sharon, and Linda Daniels. Though they've all known each other for over 20 years, they see each other only occasionally, and decided to vacation at a Cabo time share owned by one in the group.

They contacted Tracy Ehrenberg, owner of Pisces Sportfishing Fleet, and indicated that they'd like to charter a luxury yacht for fishing. Tracy put them on the Get Over It, a 54-foot Bertram captained by Jobe Villavicencio, with brother Javier working as the mate. Jobe has become one of Cabo's most sought after captains, known for such feats as catching and releasing 197 striped marlin in one day in 2008, and in fact, the two are current World Offshore Champions.



Though most of the boats had been heading north of Cabo's marina to load up on dorado (aka mahi-mahi), Bob suggested that they try for marlin and head straight out to the "6000 line", where the depth reaches, uh, 6000 feet. Evidently, that's about 15 miles out. Just before they reached the area, they saw what they thought was a marlin free jumping, so they ran the boat over to the fish and threw out a live bait to the fish on 30-pound tackle.

The fish took the bait, a battle between angler and fish ensued, and eventually Matt brought the fish to the boat. What began to appear from the depths shocked everyone aboard. Bob Gist watched the strange sea creature emerge with astonishment. "When it was coming up, it just looked...weird..and I was like, where the h-ll is the color?!... and it kept coming and then I thought it was a shark! And then I said, it's a billfish!...and it's a sailfish! and I was like, sH#@!"



"It almost looked skeletonly from a color, and it was just all white, the tail was more so than the bill, and it was incredible!"



I asked Bob what the crew’s reaction was like. "They were flipping out because they've never seen anything like that in their lives, and they started looking at the eyes, and the eyes were red and pink, and they started hollering out albino, albino, and then they called into the marina, and that's when we learned that it was a special thing.”

What actually happened was that Captain Jobe had called Tracy and told her that they had landed the bizarre fish, and they wanted Tracy's advice on what to do with it. Pisces has earned a reputation as one of the most conservation minded charter operations in the industry, and is a strong proponent of the catch and release of billfish. For her, the decision to release the fish would usually be a no-brainer, and they would have usually left the fish in the water, but since the fish was so unusual, the crew thought they had better ask Tracy and take some pictures.





Tracy Ehrenberg at her office overlooking the Cabo Marina


Tracy has even been training her crews to learn how to obtain scientific samples that are given to several trusted marine scientists she knows. She's one of many that feel that Cabo may in fact be a breeding ground for billfish. If this theory can be proven to the government- if enough billfish larvae are collected while skimming the surface for plankton- the area will be closed to commercial fishing, and billfish stocks will be safeguarded from longliners. This is her ultimate goal.

Ehrenberg said that although she knew the scientists might be able to obtain valuable data from this one unusual fish, she also wanted to honor the client's wish. Matt knew that if he wanted to get a mount made of his amazing catch, he didn’t need to kill it. These days, taxidermists make replicas better than ever before, based only on a photo of the catch. Matt was committed to letting the fish go, but now they had a problem: after the fish was brought aboard for a photo, it was exhausted, and releasing it in good health proved to be difficult.



Matt Dye being interviewed by Jon Schwartz after Matt's incredible catch


The fish wasn't able to swim off by itself after placing it back in the water, and Matt and his friends became worried it might not make it. The anglers and crew got so caught up in the revival effort that they came up with a most unusual plan: mate Javier volunteered to be held over the transom by his feet so he could hold the fish’s head underwater, and his brother, captain Jobe, would slowly move the boat through the water to run fresh water over the fish’s gills. Incredibly, the plan worked! The fish regained it's strength and kicked off by itself, and everyone aboard cheered with relief.

Matt Dye should be given a big hand for making the decision to release the fish, and the crew of the Get Over It should be commended for their valiant efforts. Well done!!!

Interestingly, The Billfish Foundation (TBF), a nonprofit organization founded to promote the health of billfish stocks worldwide, has actually come up with a helpful set of guidelines that are geared towards educating us anglers on releasing fish in a manner that puts the least amount of stress on the fish. They recommend that the billfish be left in the water at all times. Several publications and websites have written articles on how to properly release billfish, and as I come across them I will post them here. In the meantime, if you know of one, please contact me throught my website, listed above.




Personally, I have seen several methods employed that seem to work really well. Different methods work for different sizes of fish, types of line, sizes and types of hook, and so on. There's the school of thought that it's better to leave the hook in the fish (this also depends on where the fish is hooked). Sometimes the anglers will use light line and when the fish gets close to the boat, the mate will simply yank the line tight very quickly, causing it to snap at the knot on the hook. The fish usually simply swims away without even ever touching the boat. This was used about 50% of the time that I accompanied Pisces fishing charters.

At other times, I have seen mates leader the fish to the side of the boat, grab the bill, and remove the hook. With larger fish the captain will often come over and remove the hook with an ARC Dehooker, a device made specifically for the safe and effective removal of hooks in fish. I spent a month in Kona watching some of the world's best captains like Marlin Parker and Gene Vanderhoek catch and release 600 pound blue marlin without barely blinking an eye, it seemed, and both fellows and their mates made used dehooker tools to great effect.

In Guatemala, they seem to have the greatest sailfish numbers on earth. When I was there last year in December, they were releasing 30 plus sails per day, per boat. No joke! Check my website for the article I wrote on it in the "Articles" section. There, what they do is they have a long stick with a line-cutting tool attached to the end of it. They use very thin wire circle hooks, similar to the ones the Pisces Fleet uses, and when the fish gets close to the boat, the mate grabs the leader and cuts it right at the knot where the hook is in one deft motion.

As a sport fishing photographer and writer who shoots above and below the water, my own observations have led me to conclude that there are a great many mthods that are successful in promoting healthy billfish releases. I actually took this next photo aboard the Rebecca, another member of the Pisces Sportfishing Fleet. It shows one of the clients, Dan Ryan, releasing one of the 4 striped marlin that was landed that day. When the fish are calm enough and the situation is right, sometimes the anglers can even join in the fun!





Of course, usually the mate is the one handling the fish at this point, but Dan has been coming back to Cabo for many years and befriended the captains and crews at Pisces to the point where he likes to take over as second mate. In fact, he had dinner for two nights in a row at Captain J.R's house, but that's another story..!
Posted by Jon Schwartz at 8:47 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Nov 28, 2009
Fishing for Marlin and Dorado in Cabo





Lots of tailing striped marlin! The first three days of my trip I accompanied a very experienced angler named Gerald Richmond, a member of the IGFA and TBF (Billfish Foundation). We were on he 31 foot Rebecca, one of many fishing boats in the Pisces Sportfishing Fleet.
He's been fishing with them for 15 years as a client, and has caught over 500 marlin in his 79 plus years! Gerry baited up 16 and caught two on our first day. We went about 18 miles north of Cabo, maybe a bit more than halfway to Golden Gate Bank where the striped marlin bite went crazy the past 4-5 years. The fish were no more than 3 miles from shore.



The bait was goggle eyes/caballitos and Jerry used spinning tackle to sight cast to them as they swam around in full view, so it was quite exciting. Once they saw the bait, they either sank down or lit up like a Christmas tree and bit.
On board was his fiance Claire who is 73, another experienced angler. Both hail from Islamorada, Florida.
The dorado bit is close to wide open, with bulls averaging 15-20 pounds, caught on jig strikes and bait. Of course all marlin are being released! When you see a red flag with a white "T" on it that means the fish was released, so on this particular set of flags you see two marlin flags ( blue), two release flags, and a dorado flag. Jerry actually released most of his dorado too, but kept a couple for us to eat back at the Marine.
There are many restaurants like"Captain Tony's" right next to Pisces Sportfishing on the marina that will cook your catch. Quick fact- did you know that the marina here in Cabo is one of the most expensive and luxurious in the world?



Here's a shot of Land's End that I took on the way back. This is the spot at the very tip of Baja where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez. A most beautiful spot, this pic actually doesn't do it justice, it was taken on the fly..



I have been staying at some wonderful hotels. After 3 nights at Casa Dorada (see previous post) I found myself at the luxurious Marquis Los Cabos Hotel and Resort

The place is amazing! Here are a couple of quick pictures I took. As soon as I was taken to my room overlooking the Pacific I whipped out my camera because the from my balcony was equisite. Hopefully I captured some of the beauty in this photo (click to enlarge)





I took some other ones, and have plenty more I will be sharing. As much as I love fishing and underwater photography, I love photographing architecture and scenery. Resorts like this give one plenty of opportunities to take nice photos. Below is one of their restaurants. If you can believe it, it's the least fancy of the two they have!!





And then a few shots I took by the pool:











Posted by Jon Schwartz at 4:46 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Nov 21, 2009
Cabo San Lucas

I just got into Cabo San Lucas yesterday, and checked into the Casa Dorada Hotel. It's all new and quite beautiful. The weather here is about 78 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze. I'm overlooking Los Arcos, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez, and I feel like I could swim there I'm so close!
After taking a nap, I enjoyed some delicious gourmet Mexican cuisine and then took some night shots by the hotel pool that sits right on top of Medano beach. Here's one of my photos (click on photo to see the whole image):



Posted by Jon Schwartz at 1:26 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Nov 13, 2009
New Cover Shot: Bluewater Boats and Sportfishing Magazine

Bluewater Boats and Sportfishing Magazine is a highly acclaimed publication based in Australia that focuses exclusively on big game fishing. The magazine has garnered much praise from top anglers, readers, sport fishing professionals, and fishing enthusiasts. I feel very fortunate that editor Tim Simpson chose a photo I took for the November 2009 issue. Here is the shot:



I took it while I was doing a travel story on fishing for sailfish in Guatemala. The fishing was incredible, and the resort that I stayed at, Casa Vieja Lodge , was top notch in every way. These types of shots require that I put my camera in a custom underwater housing, go for a swim, and shoot up at the angler and fish. The fish was released in good shape, as evidenced by the incredible colors.



Many anglers and captains wisely strive to bring billfish to the side of the boat rapidly for a quick release, which reduces stress on the fish. If they've been played to exhaustion- something anglers should avoid-their colors fade to a dark, somber hue. Judging by the colors on this one, it must have been pretty darn healthy! When I get in the water I try not to take pictures at the expense of the fish. To that end I only get in when the fish is calm, but still healthy. If these conditions are not met, I don't do it.

Over the years I've learned that billfish should not be brought aboard for the sake of a picture. The Billfish Foundation has done a great job of educating anglers about this important fact and a visit to their website might explain the how's and why's of proper billfish release techniques. If I am not mistaken, it's illegal in some countries to bring billfish aboard for a photo, as may already be the case with other fish like tarpon in Florida. Don't quote me here though, that's not my field of expertise!



Back to the photo: I remember getting back on board, toweling off, checking this image in the viewfinder, and then almost hitting the roof because I was so happy. Getting a good photo of a billfish release is hard enough, but getting one while treading water in the ocean increases the factor of difficulty many times over. If even one drop gets on the housing's exterior surface, the shot can be ruined. Even worse, housings can leak and flood, turning a $6000 camera and lens setup and the accompanying $3500 housing into an expensive doorstop in a matter of seconds!!

Posted by Jon Schwartz at 3:58 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Oct 31, 2009
Amazing Fishing News: Marlin Travels 2225 Miles in 94 Days!

Tagged Marlin's Incredible Journey Wows Scientists and Fishermen
Text and Photos © Jon Schwartz http://www.bluewaterjon.com/



Sport fishing for marlin has changed in big ways over the past 50 years. In the old days, many anglers brought their catch back to the dock, simply to pose with it for a photo. These days, thankfully, most sporting anglers let their marlin go. Some take it a step further: they invite scientists to study the fish they release through advanced remote satellite technology. The studies are leading to some incredible findings- like this week’s discovery that one marlin caught in Hawaii traveled 2,225 nautical miles in only 94 days!





How do we know this? Marine biologists affiliated with Stanford University recently teamed up with anglers from the 50th annual Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT) that took place on the Big Island of Hawaii in July.



I covered the HIBT this year as a writer and photographer and witnessed some of the finest fishing the Kona Coast has seen in years. Over a 5-day period, tournament anglers caught 105 marlin, releasing 97. Eight of these 97 were outfitted with special satellite tags, and were thus entered into The Great Marlin Race.



When a marlin was brought to the boat, Stanford’s Dr. Randy Kochevar told me, “A surgical steel dart was inserted into fish. A mono leader comes out and wraps around a metal pin on the tag, and that pin is made of a corrosive metal. Then the fish is released. Exactly 180 days later, an electric current passes through the pin, which corrodes within minutes, weakened by a chemical reaction with the sea.” Then the bulbous tag pops off the fish, floats to the surface, and sends a signal to an orbiting satellite relaying its location, accurate to within 10 meters!



Although I spent all 5 days on the press boat and photographed multiple instances of anglers tagging fish, it wasn’t until I interviewed Kochevar over the phone that I realized I personally had witnessed these special sat tags being inserted. I scoured through my photos, and sure enough, found that I got some great pics of a marlin jumping at the transom of the Long Ranger, which was then brought alongside the boat for a special tag! (see above photo)



Once I found that I had these shots, the whole process intrigued me that much more. By a great stroke of luck, these weren’t the only rare photos I got during the tournament. During the first ten minutes, I managed to get some great photos of a marlin jumping behind a boat as I hovered overhead in a helicopter!

Kochevar told me that the tag records data every 30 seconds for the 180-day period, including information on available light, depth, and temperature. This data tells him where the fish has been, how far it’s been diving, and how long it stays at these depths; exactly the type of information on marlin that is lacking in our current knowledge base.


Angling teams that purchased and sponsored the tags stay in touch with The Great Marlin Race scientists through their website, http://www.greatmarlinrace.org/ . Kochevar notifies the anglers when their tag pops up. Once all of the tags have surfaced, the one that has traveled the farthest distance from the point of insertion (in this case, the HIBT’s Kona Coast) wins the competition and a free entry into next year’s tournament.




Anyway, I was talking again with Kochevar this week, and he said, “Jon, you heard the incredible news, right?”
“Uh, no, Randy, but tell me!”
“A sat tag that we deployed on a marlin at the HIBT 94 days ago just popped up and started sending data to us via satellite. It traveled all the way down by the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, a distance of 2,225 nautical miles from where we tagged it!” My self-centered response was “Was it the one I got photos of?”


Kochevar laughed. “No Jon, I’m afraid it wasn’t!” He then proceeded to fill me in on the details, which will continue to unfold as the tag relays data to the team over the next ten-day period. Below is a picture of the people who sponsored the sat tag, Sally and Bob Kurz, with Ph. D student George Shillinger (left) and Dr. Kochevar ( right).



You can see the tag and the special poles it came with. Bob was the one who actually tagged the fish after it was caught by Tan Chin on board the Au'Kalani on Day 3 of the HIBT. Bob and Tan's efforts, and the incredible journey of their marlin, puts their Laguna Billfish Club in first place. Given that the other marlin still have 80 days to keep on trucking, I wonder if another tagged marlin will travel even farther?

Since Kochevar is the expert on the project, I’m going to pass the ball back over to him and encourage the curious to visit http://www.greatmarlinrace.org/. He can answer detailed questions, and the site has lots more info on the Great Marlin Race. I’ll be checking in regularly to see all that the tag can tell us about the fish’s journey.



My big question is, why did it pop off early? Could the marlin have been eaten by a shark?



My second question is, am I the only person who wants to charter a plane to the Marquesas and see if we can’t locate the tag floating on the surface? I hear there’s a reward for recovering the device, and if the marlin was in such a hurry to get there, it must be pretty good fishing, too! I'm all up for going to the Marquesas in French Polynesia for my next adventure! Anyone else in?




I'm picturing that at some point the psat tag will wash ashore on a deserted island with one sole survivor and the poor soul will start screaming into it, expecting a rescue team to show up!

-Jon Schwartz: Fishing Articles, Photography, & Travel: http://www.bluewaterjon.com/

Posted by Jon Schwartz at 1:19 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Sep 19, 2009
My new article in Marlin Magazine: Fishing Nicaragua

I wrote a 2500 word travel destination feature for the October issue of Marlin Magazine called Nicaragua in High Style. It's about my trip to Nicaragua, one of the last great unexplored fishing frontiers in the Americas. You can view the whole article by clicking here for the pdf:
Fishing Nicaragua in High Style by Jon Schwartz, Marlin Magazine

I fished aboard the famous 67 Viking owned by Carlos Pellas, IGFA rep and owner of Flor de Cana Rum Company, stayed at a luxury marina, covered a tournament in San Juan Del Sur, and finished up the trip at Captain Lance Moss' Surfari Fishing Charters Lodge.
The October issue also has some great articles on the benefits of tagging marlin, how to pick the correct rods, and fishing Kenya.
Posted by Jon Schwartz at 8:21 PM 0 comments Links to this post
My New Article in Sport Fishing Mag: Panama's Tropic Star Lodge

I contribute to Sport Fishing Magazine, and they have a new article I wrote about fishing for monster black marlin at Panama's Tropic Star Lodge. Here it is: http://www.sportfishingmag.com/travel/destinations/tropic-stars-black-marlin--1000076333-page-1.html

They made an extensive gallery of my photos too, which you can view here: http://www.sportfishingmag.com/gallery/A-Few-Days-at-Tropic-Star-Lodge


That's the same epic location where I took the classic jumping shot of a black marlin that ended up on cover of Marlin Magazine's August issue. You can see that cover in a previous blog post and also in the gallery of my website.
I like the article and the extended gallery format because it showcases my writing and photography. As you know, in the print articles, they can only show a limited amount of photos, but these online galleries provide a forum for showcasing the diverse types of photography that I do- action, portrait, wildlife, scenic, and architectural shots.
Posted by Jon Schwartz at 8:03 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Sep 15, 2009
September cover of Pacific Coast Sportfishing

I took the above cover shot in Kona, Hawaii during the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament(HIBT). I had planned to stay there for two weeks, but the fishing just kept getting better so I extended my stay again, and again, and again! The full feature on the HIBT that I wrote will come out in next month's issue of Pacific Coast Sportfishing. I write a monthly column in there and also do travel destination articles for them, such as the one here I wrote about Guatemala's Casa Vieja Lodge http://www.bluewaterjon.com/article/article11.html

In any case, the action for blue marlin in Kona was so hot it was ridiculous! I was out on the water with different boats for about 20 of the 30 days I was there. Most days, we scored multiple blue marlin. I was able to accompany some well known Kona captains there and interview them for future articles, including Marlin Parker, Gene Vanderhoek, and Guy Terwilliger.
I also managed to score a bunch of super rare high quality underwater shots of spearfish, the rarest billfish in the world. The images led to another article that will appear in the future in Marlin Magazine. After that I hopped on the Kila Kila, captained by Teddy Hoogs, and we went out night fishing for big albacore and yellowfun tuna. "Albies" get over 70 pounds there. We got some great content that will appear in a night fishing feature I'm writing for Bluewater Boats and Sportfishing Magazine.
Right now I am really excited to pick up the new Marlin Mag issue. It should have a feature I wrote about fishing in Nicaragua (see below posts).
Posted by Jon Schwartz at 11:27 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Jul 23, 2009
My shot made the cover of Marlin Magazine!!

A shot I took is on the cover of Marlin Magazine. It's a photo of a black marlin that I took in Panama at the world famous Tropic Star Lodge. YAHOO!
Actually I am getting lucky with a lot of covers recently. If you want to see all of them, and also peek at some of my recent shots from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Cabo, and Kona, check out my gallery here: http://www.bluewaterjon.com/gallerybyjon.htm
If you see something you like, and you'd like to order original prints, please contact me through my website. I am also doing private shoots now for resorts, yacht owners, and anglers.
Posted by Jon Schwartz at 1:05 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Jul 19, 2009
New article about my trip to Costa Rica's Crocodile Bay Lodge

This winter I had the pleasure of visiting Costa Rica's famous Crocodile Bay Lodge. It's really an incredible resort, and home to some of the world's best fishing and ecotourism. I wrote a 2500 word article about my visit there in the latest issue of Destination Fish Magazine and you can read it here: Fishing in Costa Rica for Exotics: Crocodile Bay Lodge by Jon Schwartz It's the only place I know of where you can pull on sailfish, marlin, roosterfish, and dorado in the morning and get face time with exotic rainforest animals in the afternoon. I hope to bring my wife and kids there someday.
Posted by Jon Schwartz at 1:47 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Another cover shot! Aug '09 Pacific Coast Sportfishing

This is a recently published shot that I took this winter when I was in Guatemala visiting the awesome Casa Vieja Lodge http://www.casaviejalodge.com/. If you want to read about my stay there- and the incredible sailfish action (up to 30 big sailfish pef day!) click this link: http://www.bluewaterjon.com/article/article11.html
Anyway here's the cover shot:

I am staying up late packing for Kona- going to cover the 50th Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament(HIBT) for PCSF. This will be super exciting; I'll be on the press boat every day snapping away, trying to get some great images of huge marlin jumping in Kona, a place known as "The Land of the Giants". It's suitable nickname; there have been many thousand pounders caught there, some within a mile of the shore!

Here is the link to the tournament: http://www.hibtfishing.com/After the HIBT is over I will be doing a story on bottom fishing with Capt. Jeff Rogers http://fishinkona.com/ for Florida Sport Fishing Magazine. He's the undisputed king of bottom fishing in Kona, and seeing how it's one of the world's best places to do it, I'd say he's about one of the best in the world at this type of fishing. He's really a master and I can't wait to see what he and his clients raise and release from the deep! Monday morning I am going to be put on a helicopter by the Big Island Visitor's Bureau of Hawaii to get some shots of the opening of the tournament. That should be cool! Then they'll get me back on the ground so I can board the press boat with Tim Simpson of Australia's Bluewater Boats and Sportfishing Magazine. Stoked!!!

Posted by Jon Schwartz at 1:21 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Jul 11, 2009
Nicaragua: Fishing and Surfing Paradise!

I just got back from Nicaragua. I had a BLAST. I was there to get images for a travel destination feature that I am writing for Marlin Magazine. The fishing was fantastic; there were TONS of sailfish , and I got some really epic fishing shots that will make for a great article. Until the article comes out, I need to refrain from discussing the fishing , but if you want to see what they catch down there, go to Surfari Charters' site www.surfaricharters.com.
The surfing was also epic. Not that I surfed- I was too busy taking photos. In fact, I got to do something new: take pics with my underwater housing in the surf. I can't wait to do more!
Basically what you do is you hang out in the impact zone, where the waves break, and the surfer comes straight at you, and veers off at the last second. I think I'll only be doing this with people that know what they're doing! The above photo was actually taken from a boat, but for the first one, Captain Lance Moss, owner of Surfari Charters was actually really close to me.

I took the above shot from the beach. I must say, Lance has assembled an awesome crew down there; each staff member was super courteous and helpful. They could put you on a sailfish in the morning and then snag some waves in the afternoon. Plus his chef was killer. The chef is a native Floridian who had been formally trained in the US at culinary school. I can't wait to return!

Posted by Jon Schwartz at 11:42 PM 0 comments Links to this post
May 3, 2009
More Travel, More Travel!

Wow, I haven't blogged in almost a year- that's pretty silly! It's not like I haven't been writing though; in fact, I've been fortunate enough to do so much fishing related travel, writing, and photography since last June that I haven't had any time to contribute to this part of my website. After last year's great trip to Cabo with the military family, I went to the Kona coast off of the Big Island of Hawaii (my fourth year in a row). There I covered the HIBT ( Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament) and did a story for Traveling Sportsman Magazine on big game fishing called Kona By Kayak that can be viewed here http://www.bluewaterjon.com/articles.htm. This same page has the article I wrote about the trip to Cabo; it's called "Mission Accomplished" and it has proven to be one of my most popular articles.
That Kona trip- and the article assignment that followed-forever changed me. Up until that point, I'd been focused on big game kayak fishing exclusively. For the better part of 5 years, I was 100% focused on battling huge fish from kayaks; fighting them and documenting my angling adventures was my main goal. The assignment with Traveling Sportsman required me to perform a dual role-that of am angler and photographer, and over the course of my trip, I became more and more interested in photography. By the time we left the island after 17 glorious days, my obsession with big game kayak fishing had been replaced with a new passion: fishing related photojournalism. Instead of trying to catch the fish on hook and line, it was about trying to capture the fish- and wonderful scenic spots- on film (or compact flash cards, if you want to be precise).

After Kona, it was off to the Amazon, where I visited an incredible river and jungle lodge called Amazonat http://www.amazonat.org/home.php. The owner of this wonderful eco resort was a European fellow who found out about me through my website. He wanted me to help him set up a kayak fishing operation there to add to the exciting activities that his guests could enjoy. It was quite a thrill visiting this legendary region, and I will be writing all about it in my "Places" section of my website soon. One tidbit I will reveal: there was a guide there who took us into the primary rainforest. Within 5 minutes a huge Blue Morpho butterfly the size of a paperback fluttered by us, and then we came within inches of stepping on a viper!By the time we returned to the lodge we'd seen a frisbee sized banana spider get aggro, heard a herd of wild pics almost overtake us ( they're actually one of the the most dangerous animals there) and our guide- whose dad had, it turns out, been mauled by a jaguar- had caught two flies in midair by their wings without apparently harming them, showed them off to us, and sent them on their merry way. Wild stuff! Caiman, piranha, monkeys, capybara, tons of incredible birds, sloths, etc made for an incredibly diverse journey. Since I was being taking video, we brought down Canoe & Kayak's John Bolivar to do the still photography. It was great traveling with him and I learned a lot by watching him work; he came out of that jungle with some amazing shots! We're still looking for the right publication to run the travel piece on that journey. For now, I invite you to look at the promo video that I made for Amazonat. Here's the link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufZ3zgWEmCY&feature=channel_page

Following that action packed summer, it was back to school- you know I teach third grade in Oceanside, CA, right? Here's my web page for my class- you might get a kick out of it http://teacherweb.com/CA/SantaMargarita/Schwartz/. It wasn't long into the fall that I heard about an epic white seabass bite in San Quintin, Baja CA, which is only a 5 hour drive from my house. I was dying to get some cool seabass pics and write a story about it for Pacific Coast Sportfishing, one of the mags that I write a lot for, and so I hastily arranged a quick trip down there, which was well worth it. The fishing was phenomenal! The biggest difficulty I had wasn't catching the fish; in fact, I didn't do any angling- it was finding someone to come down on such short notice.

All the guys that I thought I could rely on were unable to make it, so the trip evolved into a "Please come down and catch fish and I'll pay for everything, all I want to do is take pictures!" type of thing, which was pretty funny. Even when it came to this, I had a hard time finding someone, until Mike from Pacific Coast Bait and Tackle took me up on my offer. We jetted down there and spent all of 4 hours fishing, and ended up with some big bad seabass and a whole slew of pictures and content for an article. You can view the article here- it's called "The Last Angler in The World" http://www.bluewaterjon.com/articles.htm
In addition, I brought the biggest white seabass Mike caught to school and my class and I spent a whole day performing hands-on science activities on it, doing online research, art, writing, dissection, and of course, filleting.

It was a blast, and you can see some pics of that on my second class website, which is really a class blog, here:http://mustanglearning.com/. You'll get a kick out of that too, but have some patience with the grammar on the kids' posts; they have a hard enough time finding the right keys to type with, and I don't give them a ton of time to edit their posts.

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Panama News



Source: TVN Noticias -

Panama Guide

A delegation of twenty Panamanian search and rescue experts will be departing the country in the coming hours, to provide assistance to Haiti which was struck by a devastating earthquake yesterday. Copa airlines will make an aircraft available to the government, which will be used to transport the rescue team as well as 10,000 bags of food donated by the office of the First Lady, Marta de Martinelli. Panama's Foreign Ministry said that despite their best efforts, they still have not been able to locate the charge d'affaires of Panama in Haiti, Eugenio Taylor.


Source: Kathyria Caicedo for Telemetro Reporta -

Panama Guide

About 250,000 workers in Panama will see an increase in their paychecks today, as a result of the new increases to the minimum wage announced by the government at the end of last year, which takes effect as of today, 15 January 2010. However, there are many complaints and doubts. Every company is obliged to pay their employees at the new rates as per Executive Order Number 263, which regulates the minimum wage and specifies what has to be paid according to the type of commercial activity and region of the country.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Chavez to use virtual currency for some trade

Chavez new currency has a value on the world market of B 1,000,000.00 = 1 Banana lets how many nukes he can buy from Iran with his new currency. coment buy Panama Jack



Chavez to use virtual currency for some trade
By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)

Venezuela plans to start using a new virtual currency this week to facilitate trade with a bloc of allies in Latin America and the Caribbean that President Hugo Chavez has assembled to counter U.S. influence in the region.
.
Chavez has hailed the electronic currency — dubbed the Sucre and valued at $1.25 — as a unique means of helping Venezuela, Cuba and other allied countries reduce their dependence on the U.S. dollar for commerce.

The Sucre was officially launched by Venezuela's government with a law's publication in the Official Gazette on Wednesday. Sucre is a Spanish acronym for the Unified Regional Compensation System.

It is to be used between members of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Nations of Our America, or ALBA, a leftist bloc that also includes Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Venezuela and Cuba started the group as a socialist-oriented trade alliance in 2004.

Analysts say the electronic trading mechanism won't significantly diminish the reliance of ALBA members on the U.S. dollar because commerce within the bloc is minimal.

The Sucre won't be printed or coined; instead, it will be used solely as a virtual currency to manage debts between governments.

Venezuela's finance minister, Ali Rodriguez, said Wednesday that Chavez's government plans to make its first transaction using the Sucre this week, when it sells rice to Cuba. The state news agency reported that he called it a way "to break the dependence on the dollar" in trade.

Jose Guerra, an economist and former manager at Venezuela's Central Bank, said the Sucre "isn't going to have a major impact for the members of the ALBA" because the bulk of their trade is centered on trade with the United States and the European Union.

"Chavez says his allies will have a true alternative to the dollar, but it's impossible to substitute the dollar," Guerra said.

Guerra estimates that about 2 percent of the oil-producing country's exports are shipped to ALBA-member nations, and about 2.1 percent of its imports come from members of the trade bloc.

The United States remains Venezuela's No. 1 trade partner, with annual trade reaching more than $20 billion last year despite the often-rocky diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington.

In comparison, Venezuela's trade with communist-led Cuba — the South American nation's most active trade partner within the ALBA — is roughly $3.6 billion, according to estimates by Jorge Pinon, an energy fellow at the University of Miami's Center for Hemispheric Policy.

Pinon said putting the Sucre into use is mostly a symbolic act.

"It's essentially an electronic price-transfer mechanism that really doesn't have any important economic impact," Pinon said. "The amount of trade between these countries using the Sucre will be limited. It's more political than anything else."

(This version CORRECTS that Venezuela plans to sell rice to Cuba instead of buying it from Cuba).)



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/01/14/financial/f194734S46.DTL&feed=rss.business#ixzz0csKY6ma5

Friday, January 15, 2010

Jon Schwartz Kayak Fishing For Marlin



In October of 2007, I finished writing an article on big game kayak fishing for Sport Fishing Magazine. It was really exciting to be asked to write for that publication, and in my delusions of grandeur, I envisioned the next logical step would be TV- springing up and down on Oprah’s couch, no doubt.

In the meantime, all the time I spent in front of the computer writing that article was time off the water, and I was getting soft and pudgy again. I felt kinda like Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now, in the hotel room, where he’s fretting that for every moment he stays out of combat, his nemesis, still in the jungle, grows stronger. I never quite got to the point where I found it necessary to smash any mirrors and collapse in a fit of pent up rage, but the pile of Cheetos crumbs that littered my desktop was no joke either.

Turned out that Doug Olander and some of the people over at Sport Fishing Magazine were planning a kayak fishing mother ship trip in Cabo in late January, and I was somehow invited along for the adventure. We sent emails back and forth discussing what gear to bring. I kept in contact with Durance Lowendick, the owner of the Marlin Masters Sportfishing, the charter operation that would be running the kayak fishing mother ship operation in Cabo. Just before Thanksgiving, Durance shoots an email off to us about a remote location called Finger Banks, 57 miles off of Cabo, where he witnessed an incredible scene replete with pods of bait-crashing marlin, breaching whales, and acres of porpoise and tuna. My kinda scene! I’d never heard of the place before, but I figured, hey, let’s get in on the action while it’s hot, as in, drop everything and fish, now! There were a few problems with this. Everyone else was booked that week, and I was actually in the middle of a juice fast (during Thanksgiving Vacation, no less!) that had rendered me so weak that I could barely brush my teeth.

Durance suggested that we try a week later. That would give me time to get some gear ready, and get back in some sort of shape- at least to the point of where I could walk a block or two. All that was left was to make sub plans for the days I’d be gone from my second grade teaching job in San Diego.

All, that is, except the packing. I always leave that to the last minute. Here it is, midnight, I have to leave at 5am, my gear is stacked up next to my bags, and no matter how I cram it together, it won’t fit. I don’t know why- all I had was, 7 rods, 7 reels, 2 gaffs,1 paddle, 3 sets of gloves, 2 wetsuits, booties, assorted clothes, 4 cameras, a vhf marine radio, 5 adapters and chords, 3 pairs of glasses, gobs of lures, weights, and leader material….

When my wife called to see how I was doing from the other room, I barked back, “FINE!!!” The cool thing is that we’ve been married enough long enough to see through each other’s lies, and within a minute she arrived in the garage with a caring smile and went to work on the wretched pile of debris. 5 minutes later she’s done. Go figure.

I hadn’t been to Cabo in a long time- about ten years- and when Durance picked me up at the airport and drove me into town, I couldn’t believe my eyes. First off, there was no trash on the side of the road, and all of the “Get drunk and throw up for 99cents!” bars that catered to the college crowd were gone, replaced by really ritzy shops and boutiques. The marina in particular totally blew me away- it was like downtown La Jolla, with tons of really classy restaurants and stores catering to the well-heeled crowd. I usually hate malls, but the mall they have on that marina kicks butt. I’m talking about, you’ll have one store with expensive Persian rugs, next to a Rolex store, a perfume store, a fashion boutique, and then an art gallery. Way out of my league!

Durance brought me to his store at Marlin Masters Sportfishing in the mall and introduced me to his wife Sharon and their 23 year old son Phillip. Turns out Durance is a semi- retired attorney from Atlanta who decided to transfer the charter boat business he ran in Florida to his favorite vacation spot- and he seems to be doing really well. The business is run with a “customer’s first” mentality that may have something to do with the fact that it’s family owned and operated. As soon as I got there they treated me like one of their own, and we went out for a dinner to an open air restaurant on the water’s edge. The chef had agreed to cook the fresh fillets from a 40 pound grouper that was landed on one of his boats that day. Marlin Masters has a fleet of 7 boats, ranging from 33 to 57 feet, and one of their captains specializes in light tackle fishing and fly fishing. The delicious grouper was landed on the latter charter.

The next morning, we loaded 3 kayaks on the 38 foot Bertram Marlin Maste’s I, filled up the live well with about 50 prime greenback mackerel that we purchased from a bait receiver inside the marina, and headed north past the famous arches that mark the meeting point of the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean. We’d be heading straight out to Finger Banks, a location so far out, that only a few companies will take their boats there.

Most Mexican sport fishing operations leave the dock at 7:00am and return at 2:30pm, no matter how hot the bite is in the afternoon- it’s an unwritten law. Not so with Durance. He stays out until the sun goes down! Now that’s my kind of person! I guess he kind of blew his employees’ minds when he told them that they wouldn’t be coming back at the regular times, but he pays them more than the other companies, so they’re lining up to work for him.

We hadn’t made it out 5 miles when we saw our first giant breaching whale, and a striped marlin right near it that was all lit up. As we made our way out, I prepped my gear. I’d brought along my favorite super short rods with 40 pound lever drag reels, so that if we hooked up with our intended quarry, the striped marlin, I’d be able to reel them in and release them in time to affect a successful release, where the fish swam away in good shape.

We were using circle hooks, which many kayakers prefer because they set themselves without requiring a full ‘swing” with the rod that can be hard to execute on a kayak. Circle hooks are also the choice of many conservation minded anglers because their cam-action almost always results in the hook becoming lodged in the fish’s jaw or lip, rather than the stomach, a common by-product of the old fashioned j-hook. If the fish is hooked in the jaw, the hook can be easily removed, which increases their survival rate by not interfering with the fish’s feeding process.

Not long after Captain Juan announced we were “on the grounds”, we saw birds diving on a mass of bait. Phillip and I launched the kayaks and began to paddle around in hopes of hooking up with the predators that were driving the bait to the surface, but it wasn’t as easy as plopping the kayaks in the water and waiting for a hookup. The mass of bait with diving birds was a fast moving entity, which we quickly realized upon entering the water. In less than a minute, the swirling bait ball, which reacted to the submarine strikes from its attackers by shuddering and undulating in spasmodic waves, had moved hundreds of yards from us. There was no way we were going to be able to catch up, so we decided to slow troll around the area with mackerel in tow, hoping to get a blind strike from a passing fish.


This slow trolling only worked for a bit. Invariable bait balls would come closer to us, and we’d get all excited and paddle like the devil in hopes of catching up, but these mad dashes only succeeded in raising our hopes and tiring us out. After 45 minutes passed with no luck, I was beginning to wonder if we would ever get hooked up. If the only way to strike gold was to be in the midst of a bait ball, we’d have to get incredibly lucky and basically get run over by one. Not only that- our mad dashes were wearing our baits out. Just as I began to reel in my bait to see if it was even alive, I felt a slight pull on the line, and then nothing. Was I imagining something? Good thing I still had my thumb on the spool though, because the next thing I know, line is racing off the reel. Hookup!

I slowly increased pressure on the spool, and when I tightened down the drag and the line came taught, the bow of my kayak swung around 180 degrees. Seconds later the line goes slack- which either means the fish is off or it’s changed directions- and then I see it- a marvelously lit up striped marlin, bursting out of the water 75 yards in front of me in a sea of spray, furiously waving his bill and twisting furiously in midair! The line was still not taught, and I wondered if he had shook the hook loose- but not to worry! The fish took off again at an even faster pace, the line finally came taught, and I was treated to the famed Nantucket Sleighride that all kayak fishing enthusiasts live for.

I took my submersible vhf marine radio from my lifejacket’s pocket, and radioed in to the boat that I was hooked up. I wasn’t the only angler on the water; I was about 500 yards away, being towed in the opposite direction by the magnificent marlin. Every so often the line would go slack, and my heart would sink, since I thought he came off, but each time I was rewarded with the incredible sight of the marlin once again breaking the surface in an amazing aerial display.

Part of the purpose of the trip was to get pics and video for the upcoming article in Sport Fishing Magazine, but we hadn’t a proper photographer with us. Instead, I had left my cameras with the deckhands, hoping for the best. When the boat caught up with me, Captain Juan announced, “Jon, I can’ take any pic-chor- I heer a alahrm when I poosh de button!” (Jon I can’t take any pictures, I hear an alarm when I push the button). Despite his broken English, I was able to understand him completely- being married to a Mexican woman helps.

In either case, I knew there was nothing I could do to fix the cameras right then, so even though we might miss some good shots, at least they were able to take some video. The fish was still dragging me all over the place, and changing directions. One moment the boat would seem too far away to get footage, and then the next moment he would go right for the boat, and I was worried that the line would get caught in the prop. I kept thinking, “Get closer…no…wait….go away!”

Something else was happening that was kind of funny. The kayaks that we were using were meant to be used with a rudder, but I thought that the line might get caught on it, so I disengaged it, and in doing so, made the kayak track, or stay on course, very poorly. Usually on big fish, when they swim away from you, you can turn your bow in the direction of the fish by tugging on the line, but this kayak wasn’t cooperating. I felt like I was in a salad bowl with no front or back to it, like those circular bumper cars that have no steering. It just kept sliding sideways towards the fish, and since I had no intention of fighting the fish like this, I sat side-saddle on the kayak. Even so, the fish was pulling me and the kayak, sideways, at a decent clip!

By the time I got the fish close to me, it had calmed down quite a bit, so I wasn’t worried about getting attacked or impaled. Fortunately, I had brought it in quickly enough so that it still had enough energy to swim away, and I grabbed the leader and cut it right at the hook, which was wedged perfectly in the outward edge of his jaw. I could have chosen to remove the hook, but I sensed that the fish was too “green” and he would go nuts if I grabbed him, so this was the best solution, the hope being that the hook would rust out within a short amount of time.

To see video highlights of the last few minutes of the fight with this marlin, click here.

As I paddled back to the boat to get another bait, I noticed through the drizzling rain that bait balls were still on top, but the predators weren’t on the surface anymore, so I put a 4oz olive sinker on my line so that my bait would drop to where the big ones were still lurking. For the next couple of hours, I did a lot of paddling, with no luck. The rain started to come down horizontally and the wind picked up, but since I came prepared with the proper wetsuit gear, I felt fairly comfortable, as long as I kept paddling.

At some point, one of these crazy masses of bait and big fish appeared again in the distance. It didn’t seem to be moving and I was able to catch up with it. I paddled right into the middle of it, let my bait drop in free spool, and soon the line starts smoking off my reel, and I’m on to something big and fast. It wasn’t a marlin, for sure- it was heading for the bottom, then changing directions on a dime, and shaking it’s head ferociously underwater. I fought the beast for several minutes, but it was all I could do to stem the flow of line racing off the reel, and when I applied pressure, the line snapped. Once the boat caught up with me and they saw the frayed leader, they surmised that it had been mako shark- lots of them in this area.

By now it’s about 3:30, we’ve got maybe 90 minutes left of light, and I really wanted a shot at a second marlin. As far as I know, no one has hooked and landed more than one in a single day from a kayak, and I thought I had a good chance at setting a record that might stand for awhile. I rebaited at the boat, and paddled off. After some more time on the water, I spotted another bait ball with diving birds, bigger than any I’d seen yet, and paddled towards it. This thing was moving helter skelter all over the place and eventually I just stopped paddling and threw my paddle down in frustration- no way I could catch up. Of course by this time my bait was half dead from me dragging him through the water. As I sat there with my head hung low, feeling dejected and trying to regain my breath, I heard a tremendous roar- the very same gigantic bait ball, with free jumping porpoise and scads of diving birds-was heading back straight towards me!

By the time this cavalcade of craziness overtakes me, I feel like I’m in the middle of an episode of Blue Planet. Huge porpoise are free jumping all over the place, and striped marlin are all around me, slashing the surface with their bills, putting on what looked like some type of medieval cross-swords display. I counted at one point a minimum of six marlin slicing the surface within 30 yards of me- and the craziest thing was, all I could do was watch!

They had plenty of live bait to choose from, and even though I pitched my lifeless bait right next to them, they would have none of it! I radioed back to the boat “Guys! Get over here now! Marlin all over! Hurry up!” but it turns out that tons of marlin had erupted next to them as well and they had decided to take a break from kayak fishing and fight a couple from the boat. I sat there alone in disbelief as the display went on for another five minutes, and when the frenzy abated, made my way back to the boat about ½ a mile away.

By this time the deckhand Fernando decided that he wanted to give this kayak thing a try. This was the first time that I’d ever seen a local Mexican get in a kayak, let alone try kayak fishing. Phillip, Fernando, and I all baited up and started trolling bait behind out yaks, and about ten minutes later I get hooked up- another marlin! It’s dragging me all around, tail walking, and then the guys on the boat radio me to tell me that we’ve got a triple kayak marlin kayak hookup- Phillip and Fernando are on too!

The three marlins were all evidently pulling us kayakers in different directions, and the boat stayed with me because it seemed I might land mine first. After another classic sleigh ride and some more awesome aerial antics, the fish and I slugged it out in a vertical battle, and I got him to leader. This marlin was more exhausted than the first, and knew I had to work to revive him, so I pulled him up to me to remove the hook from his mouth, and then gently placed him back in the water.



He wasn’t healthy enough to swim off, but rather was looking like he might go belly up so I decided to try something I’d been dreaming about…...


I jumped in off of my kayak, swam up next to him, gently grabbed his fins with my gloved hands, and held him upright. He seemed to appreciate the gesture and within a minute or two he was wagging his tail happily and the iridescent glowing stripes on his sides had returned, indicating he was ready to swim away on his own. I grabbed his rear fin and gave him one last big push and he swam off with vigor. What a thrill that was!

Several people have seen the photos of me doing this and asked me if I was crazy. My response is, I never felt in any danger at this stage of the game. People watch videos of freshly hooked giant marlin rushing the boat and almost skewering people and assume that that’s the way these fish always act. This one just wanted to get away, and by the time I was in the water, he needed help to simply remain upright.

I got another bait from the boat to try for marlin number three, and the boat took off after Phillip and Fernando, who ultimately both landed and released theirs in good health. Although Fernando and Phillip were both new to kayaking, they had spent years being mates on sport fishing boats, so they had no problem dealing with the fish.


We had about 45 minutes more of light to go, and got back in the boat to take a break and get us back in a better spot. Within 10 minutes Fernando and I are on the water again, and guess what happens next? We’re both hooked up, and the fish are going in exactly opposite directions! The boat followed me for awhile, but after 25 minutes or so, it became evident that whatever I was on was a different type of fish entirely- it wasn’t surfacing, and was taking long, punishing runs that were really sapping my strength. By this time the sun had set, and since I had a VHF radio on and Fernando didn’t, the boat decided to take some pictures of me and then take off and track Fernando down and get him aboard before nightfall. So there I am, all alone in the middle of the ocean in near dark conditions, on some type of mystery beast, and let me tell you, I am getting worked. I considered cutting the line because it was towing me farther and farther from the boat, and I had no flashlight, so I decided that I was going to try and hasten an end to the fight by upping the ante and applying maximum pressure.


Oh, I forgot to tell you one thing. Remember when I went swimming with the marlin? Well, my reel had fallen in the water when I jumped off the yak to do that, and now, just when I need the reel to perform flawlessly, it is jamming, only giving out line in spurts and jolts, and I am afraid the line in going to break, so I lessened the drag pressure and … get a wretched backlash!!! Now I’m really in trouble, because if the fish takes any line and gets me down to this tangle on the spool, the line will snap, so I go into hyper drive and crank on the reel for all it’s worth, managing in several minutes to get enough line on so that I can weather a run or two from this mystery monster.

Finally, I managed to get the fish to leader, and I start thinking, now what? I had a small gaff with me, but this fish is still full of energy, and it’s too dark out for me to see what he is even though he’s only 6-7 feet away, so I crank on the line to get him closer, hoping to get a better glimpse of him, and the very second that I start to make out his huge silhouette, he turns away from me and makes a last run, snapping the line! I never did figure out what it was.

Disappointed? You bet- but to tell you the truth, not terribly so. I have been lucky enough to land some really large fish before on kayaks, and whatever this was, it was huge, so I don’t think I could have handled it with the gaff alone. Now if I had only had the spear that I had thought about bringing down!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Tropic Star's Black Marlin by Jon Schwartz



Tropic Star's Black Marlin
Jon Schwartz finds monster black marlin in Panama
By Jon Schwartz Web-Site
A Week at Tropic Star

In the winter of 2008, I had the great fortune of photographing some of the world's greatest fishing spots running at full steam. Swarms of surface-breaking striped marlin provided Cabo anglers with nonstop action. The pristine paradise of Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula served up a tropical mix of billfish, roosters and bull dolphin. To top it all, the annual run of sailfish in Guatemala, where anglers released an average of 20 per day's charter, eclipsed even my wildest fishing fantasies. I returned to the States in January, flush with a wealth of images and adventure that would surely quench my traveling jones for a good while.

Just when I'd started to acclimate to my normal stateside routine, I got an e-mail from Raleigh Werking, manager of the Tropic Star Lodge. Turns out that they'd just experienced their best month ever of marlin fishing: 97 released in a single week! Had this report been from any other place in the world, I would have been able to brush off this incredible news, satisfied that I'd recently seen enough similar action. The problem was that this wasn't any old spot.

Panama's Tropic Star Lodge (TSL) is home to a great many species and boasts one of the most productive inshore fisheries in the world. Huge cubera snapper, grouper and roosterfish are landed on a regular basis within yards of the coastline. TSL's all-tackle record roosterfish tipped the scales at 96 pounds, and many are caught in the 50- to 70-pound range. Incredibly, this top-notch nearshore bite rates a distant second to the international contingent of anglers who flock to TSL for one reason alone: close and personal encounters with Makaira indica, the majestic black marlin.

We've all seen Guy Harvey's pictures of brutish blacks rocketing skyward within feet of TSL's fleet of 31-foot Bertrams, deckhands' arms fearlessly reaching for the leader while the angler sits with mouth agape. Always the skeptic, I'd assumed that these incredible scenarios were fairly rare. If they weren't, one thing was for sure - I was missing out on some of the most dramatic displays of man versus beast to be found on the planet.

A confluence of events: Raleigh's report, a whole week off from my day job and payday succeeded in rendering me utterly incapable of resisting the temptation to see for myself. In addition, black marlin were one of the few species that I'd been unable to get on film (compact flash card, really). The potential to plop myself into the middle of some big-game madness and score some epic photos of my own sealed the deal.

TSL usually books out a year in advance, so it was only with some great luck that I was able to book a room during the peak season for black marlin. Bonnie Karp at the lodge's office in Orlando, Florida, helped me find a flight from LAX to Panama City's Tocumen Airport. Arriving guests usually spend the night in one of the deluxe hotels near the airport and take a transfer plane to the remote airport near the lodge the next morning.

To my delight, a well-dressed representative from TSL was waiting for me as I exited the plane. She whisked me through customs and brought me to the VIP lounge, where I sipped espresso and caught up on e-mails via wireless until Jimmy Owens, the larger-than-life valet, showed up and brought me to a deluxe hotel, smack-dab in the middle of Panama City.

One of the things I enjoy most about fishing travel is exploring the host countries. Although I'd soon be on a plane bound for one of the most remote fishing lodges on earth, I had a full day to tour Panama City, a thriving modern metropolis. Jimmy hooked me up with a classic old Panamanian gentleman named Luis Singh who took me on one of the most enjoyable half-day tours I've ever experienced. Winding through the districts in Luis' prized Crown Vic, I got the lowdown on the country's history: the building of the Panama Canal, the international flavor the city enjoyed as a result of the constant influx of trade and tourism, and the structural and political stability that grew from the decades-long partnership with the United States.

After witnessing a massive cruise ship squeak through the Miraflores locks of the canal, we passed by the nearly finished phalanx of skyscraping luxury condos that line the city's waterfront. This area of the city is as sophisticated and metropolitan as any that I've see in the States. In visiting a modern mall to get some last-minute electronic goodies for my cameras, I noticed that the quality of goods was high, but the prices were reasonable. The U.S. dollar is the country's official currency, which makes transactions effortless. International Living magazine ranked Panama City as one of the world's top five places to retire, and it's no wonder. Between the low cost of living, the surge in development and its central location, Panama City is clearly blossoming.

From January to March, TSL only offers weeklong bookings; that amounts to six days of fishing and seven nights. Half-week packages are available in December and from April to September. The stay is all-inclusive, except for extras like massages, drinks and tips.



Fishing for Marlin in Panama

Jon Schwartz
Fishing Articles, Photography, and Travel
www.bluewaterjon.com
760-712-7778

I am having a grand time here at Tropic Star Lodge in Panama. The setting here is incredible, and the fishing is fantastic. It's a fishing resort deep in the heart of the Darien Jungle in Panama, 100 miles from the nearest paved road- or maybe any road for that matter.

I wrote an article about this place for Sport Fishing Magazine after my first visit here, which you can read here Fishing and Travel Articles by Jon Schwartz

I came here to witness 'His Majesty the Black Marlin' jump within meters of the boat. They get huge here, and they hit big trolled baits about 10 minutes offshore, depending on the season. When I say big baits, I mean BIG. Here's a mate holding a live bonito bait just before he bridles it to a huge circle hook and tosses it overboard to entice a bite from a monster:

The marlin are pretty thick here right now- good numbers of them. The bite usually happens first thing. First baits in the water get bit. As soon as the reel starts screaming they back the boat down at warp speed and the fish launch themselves all over the place. The fights are full-on adrenalin rushes. It's hard to get good photos because the boat is backing down so hard to catch up with the fish and there is water coming over the transom.

Although the fish get huge, the Humboldt current here, according to several staff, make for an oxygen-poor environment at deeper depths. Instead of heading for the deep like they do in many other locations, the fish tend to stay near the surface. For that reason, they are able to use much lighter tackle- 50 pound rods and reels versus 80 and 130 pound gear that is used in many other big marlin locations- so the interaction with the fish is much more intimate. Smaller boats lower to the water with lighter tackle like they have here make for front row seats to big fish mayhem!

Last year, the first day on my first visit to Tropic Star Lodge, I lucked out with a photo that made it onto the cover of Marlin Magazine.

I kind of had a feeling that after having such luck on my last trip, I would have to do some dues-paying this trip, and my feelings were right. Although the fishing here turned out to be much hotter than last year, I did a lot of zigging when I should have been zagging. I accompanied one couple who caught 8 marlin here in six days ( I think 5 blacks averaging 400 pounds and 3 blues averaging 300), but their best luck occurred on days when I was on other boats.
This all started to mess with my head; I started to think I was bad luck, and went looking for all sorts of things that may have resulted in the hex. Could it be my white socks? I tried wearing the same shirt for 4 days, stuff like that.
Catching fish is hard, but catching a photo of a jumping fish is many times harder. Not only do I have to be on the right boat that is experiencing the action, but the fish has to jump, the lighting has to be right, I have to maintain my balance in the midst of a lot of action, my camera settings have to be spot on, and my gear has to be functioning perfectly. The below shot is one of me posing. In the heat of the battle it's all I can do to stand up straight, and you'd never find me sitting down.

Anyway, as soon as we got here, they had some children from the small village across the bay come and do some folk dancing. It was awesome! It made me realize I should have brought my kids ( I have three girls). My kids are bilingual, and my wife is from a similar-sized town in Mexico; they would have become best buddies with these kids right off the bat.

I took some neat pictures of them, with them, and then made a CD for their parents so they can get them printed the next time they travel to Panama City. For most, if not all, of the parents and children, these are the first photos that have ever been taken of them! You should have seen the look on their faces when I downloaded the shots and showed them to them on my laptop. They are such dolls. Que bonita!

I was super stoked to hang out with them too, but don't show my wife these pics of my new Panamanian beauties!

I talked with their teacher, and it turns out that that her husband is the head of the school at the village. I want to go visit the village tomorrow and hang out with the kids and their parents. Many of them work here at the resort. It's a special feeling, you meet the kids, and then go out on boats manned by their fathers. The personal aspect of it makes it just that much more exciting to me, because I am also a 3rd grade school teacher.

I am already thinking that the coolest thing to do would be to maintain contact with these kids and the teachers and their parents, and have them be pen pals with my own students in San Diego. They are all about the same age. I'll be able to speak with them as I can get by in Spanish, and my wife and daughters can help out with anything I can't handle. It would be terrific if I was able to combine teaching with my sportfishing photography and travel writing and involve my students as well as my own family!!!

I was fishing with Richard and Edie Kearley for several days as well. They were very fun to hang out with. Here is a photo I took of Edie on the way out to the fishing grounds.

And here's a photo of Richard 'going great guns' on a 60 pound tuna:

Below is a shot of Richard with a tasty dorado.There's so many dorado here, they are like pests. Pretty funny considering that these same fish would make for trophy fish on many other fishing excursions.

They ended up landing 8 marlin in 6 days of fishing, but almost all of them were landed on days that I wasn't with them. One day they had 4 black marlin! Of course I wasn't with them that day. Arrgh!!

I also accompanied famous fly fishing angler and multiple world record holder Margo Vincent and her grandson Kyle Vincent.

Kyle set a (pending) new world record for mullet snapper at 24 lbs! You can bet his grandma was super proud of him! Everyone kept telling him, "You realize you have the coolest grandma in the world, don't you?"

He also landed a 375 pound blue marlin earlier in the same day. Here's him fighting the big blue as Margo looks on from the bridge:

Pretty amazing for a 12 year old, no?!

Both Richard and Kyle kept Dockmaster Albert Battoo busy recording their various achievements. With his first black marlin in day one, Richard his Royal Grand Slam: catching one of every type of billfish in the world!

The funny thing is that the most elusive billfish, the spearfish, was actually the first one that he landed like 30 years ago. I took particular interest in this because I wrote a 2500 word feature article about spearfish that will be featured in the February issue of Marlin Magazine, which should be on newsstands in about 3 weeks.

Here's Richard having his Royal Grand Slam recorded by Albert Battoo.

And here is Albert, one day later, making the sign for Kyle Vincent's pending world record 24 pound mullet snapper.

In addition to taking fishing related photos, I enjoy portrait, scenic, and architectural photography. I took a photo of the spa area and got this neat shot of Marisol the masseuse working with a client:

In addition to taking fishing related photos, I enjoy portrait, scenic, and architectural photography. I took a photo of the spa area and got this neat shot of Marisol the masseuse working with a client:

Finally I ended my week's stay with a visit to the nearby village of Pinas.

I wanted to check out the computer lab that is being set up and meet up with some of the folks I met last year there.

Jose ( pictured on the right) works with Tropic Star and also lives in the village. He introduced me to the teacher of the school (on the left) and they showed me the lab. It'll be cool when it's up and running in the next couple of months so I can communicate with my friends down there!

On the way out of Pinas I met up with one of the mates of the boats that I had been on over my week's stay. His name is Alexi. He is Margo Vincent's favorite mate and is probably going to end up as a captain at some point.

He also happens to be super friendly and he introduced me to his children when I walked by the house. It's funny to see these guys chase around monster fish all day, every day, and then see them relaxing at home. What seems like extreme angling to many is for them another day on the water. They've undoubtedly wired and released thousands of huge marlin, perhaps as much or more than anyone in the world. (FYI "wired" means grabbed onto the leader, brought the fish to the boat, and removed the hook). Thrill seeking anglers from all over the world travel to Pinas Bay to take part in a ritual that these fellows perform as a matter of course. Here's marlin whisperer Alexi with children:

Last year, I took a lot of scenic and architectural shots when I was at the lodge. It turns out that some of my photographs will be included in the soon to be released book by Guy Harvey called Panama Paradise: A Tribute to Tropic Star Lodge.

The book has 334 pages, and in it, Guy Chronicles the beginnings of the lodge in 1961 to the present day. Needless to say I am thrilled and flattered to have my work featured in Guy Harvey's book!

I am writing an article about Panama for the World Billfish Series Magazine. The editor of the publication Sam White suggested that I might like to get some scenic shots of Panama City, so I hired Panama's best guide, Luis Singh, to take me on a tour of the city. I went with him last year but needed to get more material. I desperately wanted to get good night shots taken from on high that showed the city's skyline, but after touring the city with Luis, I began to think I might strike out.
Most of the skyscrapers in the city- and there are a lot of them-are closed to the public. They are the homes of the ultra wealthy. Not sure if you know but Panama has a lot of new development and new buildings.

Trump Towers type of stuff, but even richer, and a new John's Hopkins Hospital branch, a bustling modern business sector, and tons of high-cotton shopping malls that feature stores like Rolex, Gucci, and all the rest.

After a series of unsuccessful attempts at getting a good vantage point for a shot, I decided to get crafty. Luis let me off in front of a popular tourist spot, and suggested I try to find the best spot I could on foot. I talked my way into the lobby of a posh 51 floor condo high rise, and the bellman let me onto the exercise room on the deck of the 15th floor. I was so excited! He left me there alone, though, and the room was so hot, I ventured out into the hallway to cool off.
A couple walked by and we started talking. The next thing I knew they were asking me if I wanted to go up and take pictures from the penthouse on the 51st floor!!! The bellman came back to keep an eye on me and sees me with my new friends, so I say, "These kind folks are gonna take me up to the penthouse!" All he could do was smile.

I had with me my Nikon D700's and several of my favorite lenses, and I got some AWESOME shots that I will post and include in that article for the Would Billfish Series magazine. I was so happy to be up there by myself, I was simply ecstatic! I completely lost track of time, and when I returned to Luis's car two hours later he said in a panic, "What happened to you??"

I proudly pointed to the tallest building in the sky and said, "You see that one? I was on the penthouse taking pics of the city!!!!" We had a laugh about that and his eyes bugged out when I showed him the shots. Yahoo!!!

The Kuna Yala

story by The Panama Post

In the North of Panama is the district ( or Comarca) of Kuna Yala, of 3,206 square kilometers of extension, one of the tourist sites more visited in the country, after Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí.

It is an archipelago of 365 islands nearby the coast, of which 36 are inhabited.

Kuna Yala has a population of 36.487 inhabitants, acoodring to the last population census in 2004.

To visit this place you can go by airplane , which is the fastest and safest way to visit the region.

You can board a plane at the Marcos A. Gelabert airport, , located in Albrook, Panama City. There the traveler has several options in airlines such as Air Panamá and Aeroperlas.

The round trip ticket per person is about US$ 45.00, a price that can change according to the destination and if it´s the low or high season.

The flights leave at 6:00 a.m. and return around 8:00 p.m.

Also, you can go by land to the region through the sector known as Chepo and the área of Cartí.

If the tourist wants El Porvenir as his final destination the trip will take about 30 minutes, but if he´s going to Playón Chico, towards the center of the region, it will last about 45 minutes. However, if the trip goes to the East, near the border with Colombia, the journey can last up to one hour.

Most of the tourists who visit Kuna Yala are Europeans or North Americans, though there´s also interest among Latin Americans and Japanese who appreciate the famous “molas”, the feminine outfit made by the woman native of the place.

Getting to know Kuna Yala

The tourists who visit the zone have the opportunity to get to know the richness of the indigenous culture, including the dances, the “molas” and the native traditions, as well as the respect for its beaches and natural resources.

Even though some inhabitants say there are several landing strips in the region, it is also true that only 12 have been officially enabled for transportation.

An aspect to consider is that the leaders of the region charge visitors a tax for using their territory and this occurs because the indigenous have their very own laws approved by the General Kuna Congress.

Two people murdered in Colón
Two people, aged 21 and 25, were gunned down Wednesday evening in Colón.

The victims, whose names were not released, were shot by someone from a passing car in the neighborhood of El Nazareno, where they lived.

The double homicide brings the total number of murder victims in Colón to 132 for the year.


Here is a collection of some of the best day tours in Panama City from our friends at PanamaTours.com.pa




Panama City Tour – Rich history tucked into a modern city. It's more than just a Canal.
Take a tour of one the most vibrant cities in Central America. Discover the old Panama ruins of Casco Viejo, the original location of the city before pirates and disease destroyed the town. Also experience a progressive city of the future, boasting the banking capital of Central America, beautiful plazas, and breath-taking skyline views. Bring your camera, and open your mind to the culturally profound Panama City -- Panama City Tour

Panama Canal Eco Tour – Along the Canal view exotic animals and flora, and swim, fish, and kayak at a nearby lake.
On this tour you'll get an up close and personal look at the historically significant changes being made to the famous Panama Canal. Share the canal with towering container ships, cruises, and other unique vessels as you see the canal's history and it's transition into the future. This is also a nature tour because you'll have the chance to see tropical flora and rain forest animals along the way, and you'll take a canoe trip through lake Gatun. Enjoy some swimming, fishing, and kayaking during the afternoon -- Panama Canal Eco Tour

Embera Indian Village Tour – Experience a real Indian Village amongst an exotic jungle. Travel up the Chagres River through a tropical jungle full of exotic plants and wildlife on your way to visiting a real Indian Village. Interact with the villagers and learn about how they hunt, fish, harvest, and more. You'll even experience their cultural traditions like dancing and body painting, and be able to see their handmade crafts like woven baskets, plates, and masks. Walk through the lush jungle and get a close and personal look at what real jungle life is all about -- Embera Indian Village Tour Anton Valley Day Tour – Beautiful mountain and waterfall views alongside a dormant volcano.
This is a place you may only think exists in the movies, with it's luscious green vegetation, towering cliffs and mountains, and cascading waterfalls, but you can experience it first hand on this Anton Valley Day Tour. Enjoy a scenic drive along the Pan-American Highway, walk through elaborate gardens, and even visit a zoo. Bathe in the hot springs and waterfalls, and don't forget to browse the native Indian crafts at the local artisan market -- Anton Valley Day Tour

Panama Canal Train and the Caribbean Forts – Take a train ride alongside the picturesque canal.
Ride the train for a unique and beautiful vantage point alongside the Panama City Canal, where you'll wind through historical spot after historical spot from Panama City to Colon. Visit the Gatun Locks, the Old School of the Americas, the First Sherman and San Lorenzo National Parks, and enjoy a buffet style lunch at the Sol Melia Resort & Hotel in Colon -- Panama Canal Train and the Caribbean Forts