For two weeks students conducted a series of snorkeling surveys that examined the sea stars size, abundance, feeding behavior, and movement.

Starfish beach has many visitors every year and many visitors to the islands are unaware that repeatedly picking up sea stars may harm these animals. Sea stars are covered in small gills, and so if they are lifted out of the water, they are unable to breathe.

In addition, they have a second stomach that they extrude and externally digest their food when sea stars are picked up, even under the water, they pull in this stomach and stop feeding.

Kovacs has created and added signs into restaurants in the hope of educating people about the dangers they pose to the sea stars when touching and moving them just in order to get their ‘sea star selfie’.

Many people have the ‘Its only one’ mentality but when hundreds of people have this mentality it is not ONLY ONE. Your Instagram is not worth a sea star death.

This project has been very close to Claudia and Marlins hearts for a long time and with plastic and waste pollution becoming an ever growing issue. This project hopes to make a impact on the waste management of this piece of paradise.

This organisation is run purely on the energy of volunteers and funded with personal investments from Tom Wright the founder of Wasteless World and donations from community.

The project which has only been going for a few weeks, has already made its mark on recycling here on Isla Colon and with organizing frequent beach clean ups for the surrounding islands its not just Isla Colon they are helping. Here are some alarming facts about waste pollution from their website:

• By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans.
• At least 8 million tons of plastic enter the oceans each year. That’s similar to emptying a garbage truck of plastic into an ocean every minute.
• There is more microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way.
• The average person eats 74,000 microplastics each year, which polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from plastics are linked to harmful health effects, including various cancers, a weakened immune system, reproductive problems and more.
• The demand for plastic products is expected to grow up to 36% in the next 6 years.

The founder of Wasteless World Tom Wright, pondered on the question how he can influence the environmental world. He created Wasteless World with the long term objective of changing global policy, to lead to a more sustainable future.

His aim is to build plastic workshops run by members of the community which shred, melt and mould plastic bottles and containers into materials which can be used for building.

Both locations are an easy and fun kayak or paddle away and as we have snorkeling gear and life vests that you are welcome to use free of charge from our dock, allowing you to have a fun day out at no cost.

Snorkeling around the mangroves is unique in it’s corals and ocean life.  You’ll see a wonderful collection of smaller fish as they make the mangroves their nesting grounds along with starfish. 

For a collection of tropical fish head out towards the cement posts to see the colors of the corals and fish come to life.  If you like a little excitement, laying down on the beach just at the beginning of the runway when the planes come into land is a thrill not many get to experience.

The Public Tours include sailing to Dolphin Bay to watch the bottlenose dolphins play with a stop off at Coral Beds in the mangroves for a quick snorkel where you can see a full range of sea sponges, sea anemones and other fascinating sea creatures.

Lunch is served and you’ll enjoy a fresh sub sandwich and can purchase drinks on board at $1 per drink.

After Lunch is off again to the island of Solarte to enjoy another great snorkeling experience with reef fish and coral heads to amaze you.

Throughout the day, you can take advantage of fishing of the back of the catamaran and fresh fruit is on offer all the way home.

The catamaran is spacious allowing everyone to enjoy the calm and serene ocean and at just $48 per person inclusive of lunch, but not drinks, this is a great day out to be enjoyed by all ages.

For Private Tours, Contact them directly for more information and prices:

• OCASSAILING@GMAIL.COM
• (507) 757 9710 /  507 6464 4242
• WhatsApp +50764644242

Ready to fly through the tree tops with Red Frog Beach Canopy Tours?  This is by far the most thrilling adventure you can have with 7 ziplines including Tarzan Swings and Traversable Canopy Net.  For the more daring, there is also a Treetop Challenge Course.  

Ziplines are around 150 feet off the ground and you´ll be able to reach speeds of up to 42 miles an hour careening along the almost 1000 foot long lines.   See the rainforest as you have never seen it before.

Tours take place twice a day at 10am and 2pm leaving the Red Frog Beach Dock.  It is highly recommended to make a reservation and this can be done through their website at Red Frog Beach Canopy Tours.

When it comes to creativity, the island of Bastimentos is the front runner with some amazing artisans creating beautiful local arts and crafts.  

Up In The Hill run by Javie is a treasure trove of island knick knacks including mosiac mirrors, wooden and coconut  furniture as well as various organic products of which the most popular has to be the organic cocao made into the most delicious chocolate.

To find out more about the various cocao plants and how the chocolate is made, visit his website Up In The Hill  to book a tour and spend a great day out with him! Or…  Let us call him for you and arrange a tour time for you!

Bluff beach is one of the best beaches on the island and to get there you´ll want to take advantage of cycle power.  The ride to Bluff takes around 40 minutes an an hour and there are plenty of restaurants and bars along the way to stop enjoy the view, drink a beer or soda and just smell the flower. 

There are also some great little snorkeling spots to be found along that road, so if you want to get some snorkeling gear for your trip, just let us know.  For the more energetic of you who want to cycle to the north of the island, to Starfish beach, it will take around 1 and a half hours and does require bikes with gears as the road is hilly and a lot more strenuous. 

Take care on the roads to always keep to the right hand side and ride one behind the other so as not to encounter a taxi coming around a corner.

Riding at night is best done with reflective attire and lights.  There are a few spots on the island that can be dangerous due to lack of lighting, so ask before you take that night time ride.

Our guests at Over The Water Rentals can rent our bikes for:

• $3 per half day / $5 for full day – overnight

For customers who are staying in the Saigon Bay area or further away who wish to rent our bikes the cost are:

• $6 half day (1-4 hours)
• $8 full day (4-8 hours)  
• $10 overnight (24 hours)

We have a range of bikes including Cruisers with and without gears, tandem bikes as well as kid bikes.  

Call or Whatsapp us on (507) 64019021 or drop us an email at overthewaterrentals@gmail.com

In the event that we don’t have bikes available for you, our other great recommendation is Ixa Bike Rental.  $3 an hour, $10 a day and $50 a week. 

They are located in town on Ave H! Give them a call on 6747-3208 or find them on FB.

He was so taken with the beauty of the area, that during this fourth and final New World Voyage, he chose to name many of the locations in and around the archipelago with his own name including Isla Colon (Columbus Island) as well as Bahia de Almirante (Admiral’s Bay) and Isla Cristobal (Christophers Island).

Due largely to it’s location and the many coves and bays, the archipelago became a haven for pirates during the 17th century. They built and repaired their ships on the islands and fed upon the abudant sea turtles that nested on many of the local beaches.

The pirates are said to have buried treasures on many of the islands, but none of this loot has been found, or perhaps, it just has not been reported!

Because Bocas del Toro did not have such a plentiful supply of gold, the Spaniards did not colonize the region with the same cruel efficiency that was unleashed in most other parts of Panama.

Following the arrival of the French Huguenots on the coast in the 17th and 18th Centuries, a Spanish malitia was sent to remove the settlers. Most of the indigenous population of Bocas got wiped out by the Spanish swords along with a range of old world diseases.

Wealthy aristocrats were looking to establish themselves, early in the 19th century, arriving in Bocas with large numbers of black slaves from Columbia’s San Andreas and Providencia Islands as well as from the USA.

The area become a playground for the rich and wealthy until the 1850’s when slavery was abolished. At that time many of the black slaves chose to stay in the area living off the land and seas as farmers and fisherman.

Towards the end of the 19th Century, the banana industry had begun to boom and many of the Jamaican blacks living in the area joined in the banana goldrush.

Three American brothers arrived in Bocas del Toro and founded the Snyder Brothers Banana Company in 1890. All along the shores of the Laguna de Chiriqui, the brothers planted banana trees.

For nine years the business grew until it was taken over by the United Fruit Company in 1899. Over the next decade, the United Fruit Company established vast plantations that stretched across the peninsula.

Networks of bridges, canals and roads as well entire towns were constructed around the banana trade both for the companies workers as well as their families.

The United Fruit Company is, today, part of the multinational, Chiquita Brands International and is a major player in controlling the promoting the three-quarter of a million tons of bananas grown and exported in the Bocas del Toro Province each year.

In addition, they comprise the largest Provincial workforce and the most diverse workforce in the country including chinese, latinos, west indians and indigenous tribesfolk on their payroll.

Today, Bocas is a cultural mix with some of the islands having their own distinctive cultural flavour and flair.

Bastimentos being far more Creole, whilst Caranero is considered to be much more indigenous Indian. Villages dotted around the Archpelago often too have a distinct cultural bias, but essentially, the area is an eclectic mix of rich history that makes up the islands.