THE GREEN LIGHT

Shoals of golden jack, canary yellow pufferfish and electric blue damselfish flit past as the sun’s rays create shimmering reflections in the gin-clear water. Dart-like crocodile needlefish weave in-and-out of nooks in the coral and, as the reef drops off, a school of whitetip reef sharks appear to snooze on the sand. Then to complete the spectacle, just before heading back to the boat, I spot a pair of green turtles swimming slowly, flippers rowing gently, into the distance.

This is just a snapshot of the marine life in the reef that rings the uninhabited Isla Barracuda. A forest-covered tropical speck, it is part of Islas Secas, a pristine private archipelago 20 miles off mainland Panama in the Gulf of Chiriquí. It is located less than 25 nautical miles from the Coiba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage marine