Yemaya, Panama

"Bianca and Reinhald do a great job. Reinhald even met us at the hotel when we arrived which was not necessary but very kind of him. Everything they arranged went perfectly and Reinhald called us often to check on things. The ride to Puerto Muntis was exciting, Otmar got stopped three times for speeding and it was educational to watch how he dealt with the police!

The trip on the Yemaya was great. Juan Carlos does an amazing job with the meals. Our cabin was great. We really enjoyed the crew. Juan and Franchesca were fun to dive with. Some of the diving was very challenging, with some really strong currents. But we enjoyed it all. Some of the diving is really not for divers that don't have alot of experience. Juan (divemaster) said the diving is more difficult here than at Malpelo or Cocos.

The Gamboa Rainforest Resort is a nice place but we were probably there a couple days too many. It's not really the type of place we like, it has a sanitized theme park feel to it, but that's just our preference. I'm sure there are other people that would like it just fine. All in all Panama is a great destination and diving on the Yemaya is a really good time. The captain, David, said we were some of the only people from the US that they have had on the boat. I would think that with the direct flights from Houston and California that this should be a very marketable destination for divers from Texas and Cal. Thanks for all you did setting this up for us!"

Earl- March 2011