Chiriquí Lagoon (Laguna de Chiriquí)

9° 4.0′ N · 82° 6.5′ W

A 900 km² inland sea behind the Bocas islands and the Valiente Peninsula — brackish, nearly tideless and seldom cruised, with Ngäbe villages along its southern and eastern shores.

Belize Barrier Reef

Practical

Position is the GeoNames lagoon point (open water). Separated from the Caribbean by the Valiente Peninsula and from Almirante Bay by Isla Popa and Cayo de Agua; the widest, deepest entrance is Canal del Tigre in the north-east, the main ship channel (Wikipedia). Mean tidal range 0.24 m (max 0.64 m) and weak tidal flow; February is the windiest month; drier spells in March and Sept–Oct, heavy rain in July and December; surface salinity can drop to 1.015 in the rainy season (Wikipedia). Chiriquí Grande on the south shore is the northern terminus of the Trans-Panama oil pipeline (an oil spill occurred there in 2007) and a Noonsite-listed port of entry. Our sources list no specific anchorages inside the lagoon; anchor in sheltered bays by eye and sounder.

Chiriquí Lagoon (Laguna de Chiriquí)

Practical

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